Sixers Bell Ringer: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey help get Philadelphia back in the win column

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:

Joel Embiid: 14

Tyrese Maxey: 9

Seth Curry: 8

Tobias Harris: 3

Andre Drummond: 3

Furkan Korkmaz: 1

Charles Bassey: 1

Matisse Thybulle: 1

After showing up flat Wednesday and seeing their seven-game winning streak come to a halt, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed their long-time rivals, the Boston Celtics, to town Friday evening. Behind stifling defense, led by Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, the Sixers jumped out to a 32-14 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Lots of guys played well in this one. It’s time to talk Bell Ringer. Let’s get to it.

Tyrese Maxey: 23 points, five assists, one steal

In his second game back from health and safety protocols, Maxey shook off a 4-of-13 shooting performance Wednesday to post his 11th outing with at least 20 points this season. He tied a career-high with five long balls, converted a few dazzling finishes around the rim and soundly picked his spots within the flow of the offense. His scoring repertoire is impressively versatile and he played an array of hits, including catch-and-shoot threes, drives to the rim and a pull-up jumper. Fun game for the electric second-year man.

Joel Embiid: 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block

For the first time since Dec. 23, Embiid did not score at least 30 points. Instead, he had to settle for 25 points on 65.9 percent true shooting. Tough one for the big fella. ha. With Boston consistently crowding him in the paint, Embiid contently organized the offense and let other guys cook. He was discretionary as a scorer, drilled all nine of his free throws and cashed some nifty midrange numbers.

The offense was secondary Friday, though, because he absolutely dominated defensively. He altered numerous shots around the rim, helped stymie pick-and-rolls and caused significant issues for Boston whenever it ventured inside the arc. The dude is simply playing fantastic all-around basketball.

Matisse Thybulle: Eight points, five steals, four rebounds, two blocks

Maxey wasn’t the only young perimeter player tying a career-high Friday. Amid one of his best defensive games of the season, Thybulle plucked away five steals to tie a feat he’s now accomplished four times in his career. By deterring shots, limiting air space and neutralizing pick-and-rolls, he gave the star wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown substantial issues. The two combined for just 41 points on 14-of-35 shooting and Thybulle was the primary factor behind that on Philadelphia’s end. He flew around the perimeter and teamed with Embiid to power an impressive defensive effort from the Sixers.