2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey - 15
VJ Edgecombe - 4
Joel Embiid - 3
Andre Drummond - 2
Paul George - 2
Dominick Barlow - 1
Adem Bona - 1
Justin Edwards - 1
Quentin Grimes - 1
Jared McCain - 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. - 1
Trendon Watford - 1
15th roster spot - 1
This was a game the Philadelphia 76ers were predicted to win by double-digits — so it was always going to be a struggle. But this?
The Denver Nuggets, with just nine players available and none of them being the typical stars, defeated the Sixers 125-124 in overtime on Monday night in South Philadelphia.
The Nuggets have been decimated by injuries as of late, with the squad down seven rotation players including the likes of team-leaders Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. It didn’t matter. Everyone else stepped up.
The Sixers can never make anything easy, but this shouldn’t have been nearly this difficult. Simply no excuse.
If you are looking for a game recap to relive the horror, you can check that out here.
The Sixers now get a day off before hosting the Washington Wizards on Wednesday evening. I’d say that should be one of the easier games for Philadelphia but, after what we just saw, who knows anymore.
Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer. (I know no one really deserves praise after that loss…)
Joel Embiid: 32 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE via Getty Images
Embiid was the first one to really get going for the Sixers after their shaky start. In his fourth game in a row (something Embiid hadn’t done yet this season), the big fella simply looked, well, bigger and stronger than the hospital Nuggets could handle. Denver tried to double-team him and Embiid didn’t seem too swayed, literally pulling up and shooting directly over both defenders at one point. By halftime, Embiid led the floor with 15 points on 7-for-11 field goal shooting.
His agility in using his size to back down opponents, his effectiveness and confidence in his footwork as well as his jumper hitting left and right — it all looks like the best we’ve seen in quite some time. He’s simply making plays, offensively and defensively, that didn’t seem physically possible for Embiid anymore just a few weeks ago. He even got a pretty good launch to make a block tonight (it was objectively a missed goaltending call, but I’m more so encouraged by his ability to get up to make that sort of play in general).
The only downside to Embiid’s play tonight was that he had a handful of turnovers that seemed like sort of lazy, reckless plays with the ball. He ended the game with six TOs. I will also say that Embiid started to look noticeably weaker/sloppier late in the game… but he had already played 30 minutes at that point including the entirety of the third — the first time he’s played a full period all season — so I’m trying to take it with a grain of salt. Embiid ended up playing over 40 minutes.
Embiid finished tonight with 32 points (13-for-22 field goals), 10 rebounds (six offensive), two assists and a block.
Tyrese Maxey: 28 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks
(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE via Getty Images
Tyrese Maxey continues to benefit from not only the screens and two-man game with Embiid on the floor, but from the extra space he gets with opponents focused on the big fella. He continues to aggressively attack the paint, finishing in often acrobatic fashion and almost always through some sort of contact. Maxey also continues to shoot well from long range, now sinking over 40% of threes in each of the last four games. On Monday, he hit 4-of-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc.
He is making more and more impressive defensive plays — he had a few in just in the third period of this one alone — as Maxey keeps improving on his weaker side of the floor.
Biggest error from Maxey tonight came on the final possession of regulation, where he lost the ball in his dribble as time was running out, forcing him to just heave up a last second triple that didn’t fall. (But Nick Nurse also didn’t call a timeout or run a play so I think the blame is somewhat shared, honestly.) Maxey had had a few good plays in isolation, but it was truly odd timing from all involved to think that was the play to go with there. He also had the final shot in OT that didn’t fall, but that one I would personally chalk that up more to the defense of the Nuggets than another unforced error by Maxey.
Maxey finished the game with 28 points (10-for-22 field goals, 4-9 from three), with six rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks.
VJ Edgecombe: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
NBAE via Getty Images
Let’s be honest, Edgecombe had an icy cold first half. He had a few great high-effort plays to extend possessions and made a handful of assists… but he couldn’t get a shot to fall.
It’s happened to him before, and it never stops him from continuing to shoot and turning it around. He did the same tonight. After going 0-for-5 from the floor in the first half, Edgecombe didn’t let it get him down. Instead, he went 3-for-3 (all triples) in the third quarter, warming up just in time to contribute in the clutch the way we’ve all come to expect from him already.
Edgecombe sank two triples and had a steal in the last four minutes of regulation to help push the game to overtime. In overtime, he had another steal and a block. The kid just seems to really have ice in his veins. He is just 20 years old and still in his first NBA season, and yet the biggest moments just simply do not phase him.
He also did this in overtime:
Even after a rough start, Edgecombe finished the game as the Sixers’ third-highest scorer with 17 points and ended up shooting 5-for-11 (45.5%) from long range. He also had eight rebounds (two offensive), nine assists, two blocks and two steals. Not bad for a bad night.