Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:Jared McCain – 8Paul George – 3.5Tyrese Maxey – 3.5Joel Embiid – 3KJ Martin – 2Guerschon Yabusele – 2Justin Edwards – 1Kelly Oubre Jr – 1Ricky Council IV – 1

(No poll was posted following the 12/16 win over Charlotte, so in a Liberty Ballers first, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey each received half a Bell Ringer.)

Woof.

With no Joel Embiid the Sixers were thoroughly dominated by the league-best Cavaliers in Cleveland Saturday night, 126-99.

Tyrese Maxey got off to a hot start but nobody joined him at any point of the night.

The Sixers and Cavs were actually tied 30-30 after one. Cleveland then closed the second quarter on a big run, nailing over 60% of their threes in the first half and taking an 11-point lead into the locker room.

There was some shooting regression by the Cavs … but not nearly enough. Cleveland outclassed the Sixers in every aspect of the game Saturday night, putting the game away with a 33-21 third quarter that extended its lead to 23.

The Sixers are now 9-17 on the season, still sitting outside the play-in picture. Next up is a home matchup with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs Monday night.

But first, a Bell Ringer with really only one choice.

Tyrese Maxey: 27 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal

Maxey had it going on early, ripping off a personal 8-0 run to force an early Cavaliers timeout. He added two assists and four more points as it looked like he could potentially carry the offense on a night where they desperately needed it.

After a quiet second quarter, Maxey did his best to try to drag the Sixers back into the game to start the second half. He was able to cut the lead down to eight with a triple at the 5:24 mark of the third, forcing another Cleveland timeout. The Cavs answered back with another barrage of threes and their lead never fell below double digits again.

It’s good to see Maxey finding his shooting stroke from deep again. There were a lot of weird theories and takes on why Maxey was struggling from three to start the season. He was 5-of-10 Saturday and is now 18-of-38 (47.3%) over his last four games, which should quell those concerns.

The issue against the Cavs was Maxey had trouble finishing inside the arc. That’s not uncommon for smaller guards against the massive frontcourt of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but it did seem like Maxey missed a few decent looks he created for himself.

On a night that wasn’t particularly great for any Sixer, Maxey was easily their best player. You can feel free to vote for someone else in the poll and drop your pick in the comments.

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