Sixers Bell Ringer: Jared McCain, Paul George lone positives in embarrassing loss to Heat

Sixes Bell Ringers regular season standings:

Jared McCain – 5th

Tyrese Maxey – 2

Paul George – 2

Guerschon Yabusele – 2

Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

The Philadelphia 76ers keep resetting the bar for how bad a basketball team with multiple All-Star players can look. From up 19 points to down 20, the Sixers hit a new level of disappointing tonight with a 106-89 loss to the Miami Heat, who were on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) missed this one, his sixth consecutive absence, but reportedly will be reviewed at the beginning of this week. Joel Embiid ended up playing after being listed as questionable midday Monday with an illness. For the Heat, Jaime Jaquez, Jr. (right ankle sprain) and Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) both out. Fortunately for them, it didn’t matter.

It’s crazy to look at the final score tonight and realize there was a time early on when the Sixers were up 19 points and cruising into the second period. Then, surprise surprise, it worked out. The lead dwindled to just three at halftime, and then Philadelphia completely disappeared in the third period (as they have repeatedly done early this season), scoring just 16 points in the frame. Midway through the fourth, the Heat were up by 20, and the only ones left to watch the Sixers were those of us who had to, like us sick here at Liberty Ballers.

Rookie Jared McCain remained the only consistent bright spot for this team with 20 points — his fifth straight 20-point game. Paul George added 18 points and looked a bit better than he did Friday against the Orlando Magic, but he still struggled from long range.

The Sixers’ road trip continues Wednesday night with a visit to the Memphis Grizzlies, who will be on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Until then, let’s get to the Bell.

Jared McCain: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that a big reason fans still watch the Sixers at all (the ones that still are) is because of Jared McCain. Fortunately for them, he consistently remains a hugely impressive talent as a 20-year-old rookie still in his early NBA career. The unfortunate part is that he is only consistent guy on a roster that, on paper, is stacked with multiple All-Stars.

McCain had his fifth straight 20-point game on Monday night. He continues to find consistent success no matter who else is on the floor with him, and he’s found the perfect balance between doing everything in his power to try to help this team without trying to do too much and force things that are not workers. In his first 11 minutes on the floor, McCain had 12 points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting and 2-for-3 from long range. His jumpers were smooth, and he continues to have no qualms about using his smart footwork, athleticism and strong finish to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league.

The rookie also continues to make plays for his teammates with four assists tonight and was active and strong on defense throughout. It’s crazy to keep repeating ourselves here, but it bears repeating: McCain is the most consistent, productive player right now on a roster that has league veterans, multiple All-Stars and a former MVP. And all before he turns 21.

McCain finished the night with a team-leading 20 points on 8-for-16 field goal shooting (4-for-9 from downtown) with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Paul George: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

George went straight to work Monday night, scoring the Sixers’ first five points on a triple and a step-back jumper. Things remained even for PG throughout the first period, which was an encouraging sight after the rough shooting night he had last Friday in Orlando. George scored 12 points in the first period on 4-for-7 field goal shooting (1-for-2 from three-point range), and he appeared to be in a groove.

Unfortunately, Rillen didn’t carry over to the second period, where he put up a goose egg for points on 0-for-3 shooting from the floor, all from long range. Honestly, it feels like nobody on this Sixers team can hit their triples, even open looks, except the damn rookie! But I digress…

George continued to struggle from long range into the second half, so he began to focus more on driving into the paint to finish at the rim and draw contact to get to the foul line. Four of his six third period points were from the charity stripe. (Six points of Philadelphia’s 16 total in the third frame…) After that point, though, it was pretty much game over. Despite the rough shooting from the field (5-for-13), George finished with 18 points Monday to go along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The biggest problem for PG right now is just that the three pointers aren’t dropping. He was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc tonight, and it wasn’t always shots that were contested at all. It’s a problem that seems to plague every six not named Jared McCain, with wide-open looks from long range just far away. That said, at least George is doing what he can to produce in other ways: setting up his teammates with good looks, working his own mid-range jumper and driving into the paint in contact for layups and trips to the line and be aggressive on defense and on the glass. When a team is struggling the way the Sixers are right now, all the little things come together.