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
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 1
Adem Bona – 1
Justin Edwards – 1
Quentin Grimes – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1
The Philadelphia 76ers have snagged their first win in over two weeks, taking down Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves 135-108 on Sunday night.
The Sixers had a decent first half of basketball, seemingly getting more in rhythm as the break approached. They entered the second half with a 10-point lead over the hosting Timberwolves. By then, four Sixers were already into double-digit scoring (Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr.). The consistent scoring and even effort from the Sixers continued throughout the second half and Philadelphia amassed a lead of more than 20 points.
Tyrese Maxey put up his best performance in what feels like a long time with a game-high 39 points on 18-for-28 field goal shooting. Rookie VJ Edgecombe added a new career-high six triples for 24 points and Quentin Grimes added 19 points with five threes of his own. It was the best widespread effort we’ve seen from this team by a fair margin in weeks.
The Sixers get Monday off before continuing their road trip with a visit to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer.
Tyrese Maxey: 39 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Tyrese Maxey got off to a sloppy start in this one with two quick turnovers on bad passes in the first two minutes, and it was looking like it might be another tough night for the guard. After that though, he seemed to settle in, especially toward the end of the second frame. Maxey scored 11 of the Sixers’ last 17 points to close the first half after starting to have success getting downhill and weaving into the paint against a Timberwolves team without a real center available (Rudy Gobert, suspension, and Naz Reid, shoulder soreness, were both out). Maxey shot 8-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-5 from long range in the first half, tying with fellow NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards in leading the floor with 19 points at halftime.
From then on, Maxey seemed locked in, playing with a bit of fire we haven’t seen from him in a little bit. He added 13 more points in the third including two from an absolute poster on Anthony Edwards.
This was one of the best overall Maxey performances we have seen in a bit, with great energy level and body language coming with it. He was aggressive without forcing opportunities that weren’t there. He seemed not to succumb to frustration as much, even if he wasn’t getting the foul calls he wanted. He just stuck to his game and kept doing what worked, taking advantage of the Wolves lack of rim protection on Sunday.
After a really tough few weeks, Maxey might have needed this kind of night personally, mentally, even more than the Sixers needed it.
Maxey finished this one with 39 points on 16-for-28 (57.1%) field goal shooting and 5-for-7 (51.7%) shooting from long range. He also had eight assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block.
VJ Edgecombe: 24 points (career-high 6 triples), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
VJ Edgecombe got the night off to a hot start, taking advantage of some open looks to put up 10 points (two triples) in the first frame. The three-point shooting of the rookie would become the cornerstone of his night, with Edgecombe sinking 3-of-4 in the first half. Following halftime, he was completely locked in, looking confident and smooth pulling up from distance whenever he could find or create an open look. It paid off.
Edgecombe ended up with a new career-high six triples on seven attempts. That’s 85.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Not only that, but he was also active on the boards throughout, trailing only Andre Drummond for the Sixers in the category with seven. The rookie also put up a solid defensive performance and committed just one turnover the entire contest, with that single error not occurring until the final minutes of the game with the Sixers up over 20 points.
This performance was another example of Edgecombe seemingly playing beyond his years when it comes to rising up to the moment, too. He got the fourth off to a hot start with a high-flying alley-oop and yet another triple to extend the Sixers’ lead early in the final frame — the beginning of putting the game out of reach for the Timberwolves and finally snapping the losing streak for the Sixers.
Edgecombe finished the night with 24 points, seven rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Quentin Grimes: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal
Quentin Grimes made a quick impact off the bench for the Sixers early in this one, hitting two threes and grabbing a steal not long after checking in for the first time in the opening frame. Grimes not only was scoring well in the first half, putting up 10 points on 4-for-8 field goal, 2-for-4 three-point shooting, but was contributing well as a playmaker. He had five assists by halftime, with three coming off similar plays ending in finding Adem Bona under the net for open dunks.
This performance was the perfect example of what the Sixers need from Grimes coming off the bench. It doesn’t have to be massive scoring bursts or all highlight reel level plays. He simply provided a consistent offensive boost for the Sixers on Sunday, whether scoring himself or just keeping his head up and making the right passes for some absolute dimes for his teammates. For a team that has been struggling with assists as of late, that playmaking alone is worth its weight in gold… but the five triples certainly didn’t hurt either.
Grimes finished Sunday with 19 points on 7-for-12 field goal shooting and 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range. He also had three rebounds, seven assists and one steal.