Sixers Bell Ringer: Led by Jabari Walker, the Sixers manage to barely beat tanking Jazz

Tyrese Maxey – 22
Joel Embiid – 9
VJ Edgecombe – 9
Paul George – 6
Jared McCain :’( – 3
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
Andre Drummond – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

This will technically count as an NBA game in which the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Utah Jazz 106-102.

The Sixers were very shorthanded. VJ Edgecombe was ruled out for a back contusion after exiting last night’s game just before halftime after falling hard. In addition to the rookie, Joel Embiid (oblique), Paul George (suspension) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness) were all also unavailable.

So, Tyrese Maxey and the hospital Sixers against a tanking Jazz squad… unstoppable force versus immovable object? Complete lack of force versus very movable object?

The Sixers led by five at halftime led by a burst of scoring by Jabari Walker with 15 points on perfect 5-for-5 field goal and 4-for-4 long range shooting. Maxey was the other main contributor with 14 points at the break on slightly less efficient shooting. And then, as it always does, the third frame came along. The Sixers let the Jazz — who are basically actively trying to lose basketball games — go on a 10-0 run to start the second half, taking their first lead of the game.

It wasn’t a pretty fourth quarter for either team as the Sixers had to claw their way back from down six late. A win is a win, I suppose.

This game was the second leg of a back-to-back for the Sixers. Now, thankfully, they’ll get a couple of days to rest before their next contest visiting the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer.

Jabari Walker: 22 points (7-for-12 FG, 4-for-7 3PT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

The San Antonio Spurs’ demolition of the Sixers on Tuesday night wasn’t good for much, but it might have helped Jabari Walker get into a groove. After putting up 20 points (yes, mostly in garbage time, but still) last night, Walker came into Wednesday’s game red hot — I’m talking perfect shooting through halftime level hot.

Walker came into the game off the bench in the second half of the first frame and immediately got to work, sinking back-to-back triples within a few minutes of taking the floor. He then settled right back into the corner of the arc, pump-faked his way into a drive to the basket and drew a trip to the line. He scored seven points in his first four minutes on the floor to close the first frame. But he wasn’t done — he contributed the Sixers’ first eight points in the second period on two triples and a layup. Fifteen straight Sixers’ points across the end of the first into the beginning of the second came from Walker. At halftime, he had 15 points on perfect 5-for-5 field goal and 4-for-4 three-point shooting.

Not only was Walker racking up some points, but he also was incredibly aggressive on the offensive boards (which led to a few of his points, actually) and played some physical, effective defensive as well.

Walker finished Wednesday with 22 points, 10 rebounds (three offensive), two assists and a block in 28 minutes off the bench.

Sure, it’s just garbage time versus the Spurs and a good performance against a tanking Jazz team, but it’s never a bad thing to get a player moving in a more productive direction… especially for a team that desperately needs more help from its bench like the Sixers do.

Tyrese Maxey: 25 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks

There is a lot of discussion, mainly on social media, judging Tyrese Maxey on his ability to completely carry the Sixers team on his back.

I’m not sure what else he could have done in this one (other than just shoot with more efficiency, but more on that in a second). From the jump, the Jazz went with the defensive strategy of just sticking a double or even triple team on Maxey at all times. Not a bad idea, considering he was really the only shooting threat on paper from the Sixers’ lineup tonight. Even with all of that attention, though, Maxey managed to make it work. He started using his speed and footwork to maneuver through the defense before they could trap him, getting into the paint to find opportunities there and sometimes earning a trip to the line in the process.

His shooting… could have been better. He finished the night just 8-for-22 from the floor and 2-for-10 from long range. That being said, it’s sometimes harder to criticize Maxey when you know in part that the shot selection is him desperately trying to make something happen for the Sixers. You obviously want him to shoot better than 36.4%, but this felt like one of those nights you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt.

All that being said, Maxey finished the night with a team-leading 25 points with two rebounds, six assists, one steal and three blocks.

Quentin Grimes: 16 points (7-for-12 FG), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

I won’t lie, this was far from the perfect game from Quentin Grimes. He had a few head-scratching-level questionable passes and couldn’t hit at all from long range. He had three turnovers. But, Grimes also stayed aggressive the entire game, and started driving hard into the paint to down under the rim where he was able to achieve a lot more success. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Grimes’ shot chart for this game.

In a game like this… whatever works, I guess!

Grimes had a number of really important points as well, such as four in the last 47 seconds of the game — a lay-up to tie the game at 102 apiece, and then two free throws on the following possession to take a two-point lead for Philadelphia. He finished the game with 16 points (on 7-for-12 field goal shooting), five rebounds (three offensive), two assists and one steal.

Adem Bona: 12 points (6-for-8 FG), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

It wasn’t a perfect game from Adem Bona, either. To be frank, sometimes it just seems like he cannot grab on to the basketball without it bouncing off of his hands for the life of him. That being said, there aren’t many players that bring the amount of energy to the Sixers that Bona does. Whether it’s getting up for a big block, battling for every board or dunking the ball with all his might, Bona brings an undeniable boost to this Sixers lineup at times.

It was simply a solid night from the backup five (who actually started tonight instead of Andre Drummond in Joel Embiid’s absence). Bona finished the game with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor with five rebounds (three offensive), an assist, a steal and a block.

If nothing else, at least enjoy watching this excellent put-back Bona slammed home on a missed Maxey three-point attempt.