2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 20
Joel Embiid – 9
VJ Edgecombe – 8
Paul George – 6
Dominick Barlow – 2
Andre Drummond – 2
Jared McCain :’( – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1
The Philadelphia 76ers lost their fourth straight game Saturday night, falling to a New Orleans Pelicans team that still has the second-worst record in the Western Conference even after the 126-111 victory, played one night earlier, and started DeAndre Jordan in the year of our lord 2026. To the surprise of exactly no one, the Sixers were horrendous in the third quarter, allowing the Pelicans to drop 40 points in the period, turning a double-digit lead into a deficit in the process. All the good vibes from the first half of the season are long gone at the moment, and even if Joel Embiid suits up again as early as Sunday against Minnesota, it’s pretty clear there are some glaring holes with this Philadelphia roster. So with all that doom and gloom out of the way, let’s momentarily focus on the spare positives and talk Bell Ringer.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers
Oubre, who grew up in New Orleans, had a nice homecoming to the Big Easy, shooting 7-of-15 from the field with four made threes for a team-high 25 points. The most memorable of those three-pointers was a buzzer-beater to end the first half, after which he blew a kiss to the crowd in true Kelly fashion. In addition to his shooting prowess from the perimeter, Oubre continued his attack mentality from the Atlanta game a couple nights ago, repeatedly initiating contact to get to the charity stripe; he is now 16-of-19 from the free throw line across the past two games. Really, it was a three-level scoring game for him, as Kelly also chipped in a few middies of the floater and fadeaway variety. Saturday was another good example of Oubre’s ability to scale up his usage when the team is missing some pieces.
Jabari Walker: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers
Walker has replaced Trendon Watford in the rotation since signing his standard NBA contract and returning to action. He made that decision look good again on Saturday, giving the team a nice lift off the bench in his 16 minutes and recording a team-best plus-five plus-minus. Normally not a reliable outside shooter, Walker canned two of his three triples, knocking one down in transition in the first quarter and later spotting up from the corner. He also did rugged work on the glass, most evident when he battled for an offensive rebound late in the first half and finished through contact for a three-point play opportunity. With the Sixers looking to be a player or two short on a lot of nights, it’s at least good to have Jabari back in the fold.
Anyone else you felt had some nice moments in the midst of this mess? Let us know in the comments.