Sixers Bell Ringer: Nico Batum saves the season

Sixers Bell Ringer: Nico Batum saves the season

Final Bell Ringer Regular Season Totals:

Joel Embiid – 22

Tyrese Maxey – 19

Kelly Oubre Jr. – 10

Tobias Harris – 7

Paul Reed – 4

De’Anthony Melton – 3

Jaden Springer – 3

Ricky Council IV – 2

Buddy Hield – 2

Patrick Beverley – 1

Danuel House Jr. – 1

Furkan Korkmaz – 1

Kyle Lowry – 1

KJ Martin – 1

Cam Payne – 1

Terquavion Smith – 1

The Sixers’ first Play-In game started out how some of the sadder playoff games have looked in recent years. Philadelphia was missing a ton of shots, looked completely stymied by Miami’s zone, and was turning the ball over a ton to give the Heat’s largely ineffective offense the boost it needed. Joel Embiid looked out of rhythm and Tyrese Maxey was getting guarded well and the outside shot wasn’t falling. The Wells Fargo Center boo birds were out in full force and the Sixers trailed by 12 points at halftime. We all had flashbacks to the Boston series, or Atlanta, or this same Miami team.

Then, unlike past years when the team completely folded in elimination game environments, the Sixers turned things around in the second half, with a successful Bricken’ for Chicken’ serving as the catalyst. With the crowd raucous about their free poultry, Philadelphia rode the wave of good vibes to an 8-0 run to make a double-digit deficit back into a one-possession game. The Sixers’ new blood of role players all stepped up and had big moments, be it Nico Batum, Kelly Oubre Jr., Buddy Hield, or Kyle Lowry. Joel Embiid rubbed some Icy Hot on the knees on his way to a big fourth quarter and the Sixers made their free throws down the stretch to escape with a critical and cathartic 105-104 win over the Heat. Next up is New York on Saturday, but right now is Bell Ringer.

Nicolas Batum: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers

The Sixers’ transaction with the Los Angeles Clippers on Halloween 2023 will forever be known as the Nico Batum trade. Without the veteran forward, the Sixers would undoubtedly be playing a do-or-die game on Friday night just to try and face Boston in the first round. Batum was one of the few guys to not look rattled by the zone, as he calmly sank six of his ten three-point attempts. Aside from dropping a season-high 20 points, Batum was also tremendous on the defensive end. He did a highly credible job against Jimmy Butler when matched up against the Heat star, and then after Tyler Herro heated up in the fourth quarter, was switched onto the former Kentucky guard and made a couple huge defensive plays, including a wild block of a potential game-tying three inside the final minute. Batum was pretty easily the best player for the Sixers on both ends of the court, which is truly just remarkable stuff for a 35-year-old.

Joel Embiid: 23 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers

This was very far from a Joel Embiid masterclass. He looked winded a lot, was missing bunnies around the basket, and was generally failing to oppose his presence around the nail and painted area like we’re so used to seeing. However, with the game on the line, this year’s Team USA member rose to the occasion. Embiid recorded 11 points and two assists in the fourth quarter, nailing a pair of threes and fighting for an offensive rebound that led to a crucial and-one. With the game tied with under a minute left, he threw an absolute dime to Oubre under the basket for the go-ahead three-point play. The Sixers led the rest of the way.

Buddy Hield: 7 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 2 turnovers

I could have included a couple of the other role players I mentioned above for this third slot, but opted for Hield because I think the Sixers would still be stuck in 2-3 zone purgatory if not for the former Pacer. Nick Nurse said the team made a point at halftime to have the team start driving into the zone, and Buddy was a big part of that shift. Hield repeatedly knifed into the defense and found open teammates for his six assists. Buddy botched a wide-open lay-up and only shot 1-of-5 from three, but he played solid defense and completely changed the complexion of the game by finding the skeleton key for that Miami zone prison.