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With Tyrese Maxey sidelined due to illness, two veterans and a rookie stepped up to help the Sixers defeat Indiana.
Dec 13, 2025, 4:24 AM UTC
**2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:**Tyrese Maxey - 11VJ Edgecombe - 2Andre Drummond - 2Paul George - 1Dom Barlow - 1Adem Bona - 1Justin Edwards - 1Quentin Grimes - 1Jared McCain - 1Kelly Oubre Jr - 1Trendon Watford - 1
15th roster spot - 1
For the first time this season, the Philadelphia 76ers had to experience life without Tyrese Maxey, who missed his first game due to illness. In his absence, Sixers veterans and youngsters alike stepped up, and Philadelphia prevailed over a plucky Indiana Pacers team, 115-105. The Sixers will next play on Sunday in Atlanta, so hopefully Tyrese has a couple days to drink some hot tea and rest up. But tonight’s win provided a nice feeling to know that everything doesn’t necessarily have to fall to pieces with Philadelphia’s star guard sidelined. On to Bell Ringer candidates.
**Joel Embiid: 39 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers**
The dismal shooting display against the Lakers is now a distant memory. Embiid had the full arsenal of his offensive game working against the Pacers in the season-high 39-point effort. He looked as good physically as we’ve seen this season, able to establish position against Indiana defenders and play into contact to earn trips to the charity stripe (13-of-18 on free throws). He wasn’t shooting lights out from behind the arc, but after his ice-cold stretch from downtown, it was great to watch Joel get a couple to fall. But the midrange game was certainly on point, with a ton of silky smooth little stepback jumpers. Embiid even did some dirty work; one of the most important plays of the game came with a few minutes left, with Joel fighting underneath for an offensive rebound and three-point play on the putback to make it a two-possession game again. Time will tell if tonight was more of a one-game anomaly or sign of things to come, but it was sure fun to see Embiid still have this type of performance in his bag.
**VJ Edgecombe: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 turnovers**
With Maxey out, it looked like Edgecombe came into play with a clear idea in mind to take on more of an offensive role. He scored 14 points in the first quarter, tying his highest-scoring period as pro. The rookie guard finished 3-of-5 from behind the arc, but also contributed a bunch of points via drives, either finishing at the rim, sinking a soft floater, or drawing fouls. Edgecombe’s 10 free throw attempts (making seven) were easily a career-high. Add in his usual strong defense and some playmaking and it was an excellent all-around night for VJ, who scored 20-plus points for the first time since mid-November. He couldn’t have reasserted himself on a better evening.
**Paul George: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers**
George has mostly contributed positively since making his season debut a little under a month ago, and tonight was on the short list for his best game of the season. This was exactly the version of George the Sixers need at this stage of his career. He played terrific defense, created easy shots for others (a couple assists to Dominick Barlow around the rim stood out), and hit a number of contested jumpers. It’s great to have another guy who when the offense breaks down, can just create a shot for himself in a one-on-one situation. George finished the night 8-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three. The 23 points were a season-high, and between he and Joel, you saw the possible vision for how everything could potentially come together for the Sixers this season.
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