Sixers Bell Ringer: Sixers continue depressing descent in loss to Brooklyn

Philadelphia suffered its fifth straight defeat heading into the All-Star break.

Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 15
Jared McCain – 8
Joel Embiid – 8
Paul George – 7
Guerschon Yabusele – 4
Kelly Oubre Jr – 2
Ricky Council IV – 2
KJ Martin – 2
Justin Edwards – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Jared Butler – 1

Heading into Wednesday night’s Sixers game against the Brooklyn Nets, Joel Embiid was out due to the back-to-back, Tyrese Maxey was a late scratch with a right knee contusion, and Paul George was out…there getting cardio. If you were wondering about the how of a Philadelphia tank the rest of the season, this is how you would diagram it.

Philadelphia had a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and did have a late flurry to get Brooklyn’s lead to four points inside the final minute, but things stuck there in the 100-96 defeat. The big talking point coming out of this contest will be Paul George scoring just two points, but for now, let’s talk about the guys who did produce for tonight’s Bell Ringer nominees.

Quentin Grimes: 30 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Getting his first start as a member of the Sixers, Grimes wasted no time finding his footing with nine first-quarter points. With Maxey out, Grimes had the ball in his hands a lot more and displayed terrific aggressivenss. We knew Quentin has hops, but hadn’t seen it too much since joining the Sixers. However, he went above the rim for slams on a couple occasions in Brooklyn. Defensively, Grimes had another block of a three-pointer, and remains active, doing things like digging down hard as a help defender for a steal. He tried his best to pull the Sixers out of a ditch down the stretch, drawing a landing zone foul on a three-point attempt and then getting fouled again on the extra possession. Grimes also had a pair of buckets with a steal in-between during last-minute scramble mode, but it still wasn’t enough. Still, I’ll take plenty more Grimes in the future, please.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: 30 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 turnover

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Oubre is very familiar with the position of putting up points on a bad team, so it’s not surprising to see him do well here tonight. He was extremely efficient on the offense end, shooting 10-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three, and 8-of-8 from the foul line. Kelly attacked the basket hard as a driver, frequently forcing contact, and worked well as an off-ball cutter and out of the dunker’s spot. At one point in the fourth quarter, he scored 12 straight Sixers points, and he was flying around in crunch time as the Sixers tried to pull off the improbable comeback. If everyone had Oubre’s energy level, these sorts of losses wouldn’t happen.

Justin Edwards: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 0 turnovers

Edwards was back coming off the bench for this game, but played 31 effective minutes, shooting 6-of-13 from the field. The undrafted rookie displayed his above-the-rim athleticism, sure, but also sank one pull-up three and found Kelly Oubre Jr. with a nice feed on a cut down the middle of the lane. Edwards’ length and athleticism make a big difference defensively for the Sixers on the wing. The Sixers made the right call keeping this guy around on a standard NBA contract.