Sixes Bell Ringer regular season standings:
Jared McCain-3
Tyrese Maxey-2
Paul George-2
Guerschon Yabusele-2
Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

The Sixers welcomed the undefeated NBA with a 12-0 lead at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid and Paul George on this second night of a back-to-back due to knee injury management. Tyrese Maxey missed his fourth straight game with a hamstring injury and will be re-evaluated on Friday. Andre Drummond was unavailable due to illness.

Despite being significantly undermanned, the Sixers held their ground and made a game of it. The Sixers trailed by four after the opening period but put together one of their better quarters of the young season, outscoring the Cavaliers 27-17 in the second frame and taking a 54-48 lead at intermission.

As the Sixers have done many times this season, they came out of the gate in the third quarter and the Cavaliers took an eight-point lead late in the third quarter; before a pair of free throws from Eric Gordon and a tip from Kelly Oubre, Jr. right before the third quarter buzzer brought them back within four heading into the fourth quarter. The Sixers would cut the score to two on a Jared McCain three with just over five minutes left, but that was the closest they could get. Donovan Mitchell showed why he is an All-Star and one of the best guards the league has to offer when he hit a powerful shot to give the Cavaliers a 114-106 win.

The Sixers return to action on Friday as they travel to Orlando for their second NBA Cup group game. The matchup with the Magic will be the first game of a three-game road trip for the Sixers.

As for the Bell Ringer, I’m not sure it needs much discussion. The Sixers Bell Ringer for tonight has to be none other than rookie sensation Jared McCain.

Jared McCain: 34 points, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds, 6 threes

Photo by David Dowt/NBAE via Getty Images

The Sixers rookie continued to impress with a career-high 34 points on 12-of-26 from the field and 6-for-12 from beyond the three-point arc. McCain’s 34 points set a new NBA season-high, single-game scoring mark by a rookie, passing the 33 points set by No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher last Wednesday night in the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the New York Knicks. McCain continues to show his dynamic scoring ability at all three levels, as he was able to finish among the trees above the likes of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and find a home in the midrange with pull-up jumpers and bump fades to go along with it. his six three-pointers.

The rookie still exudes confidence and plays with poise far beyond his years. While McCain’s goals stood out for the first part of this season, his 10 assists tonight show he is more than just a goalscorer. McCain was able to use his scoring gravity to create opportunities for his teammates and made quick and decisive decisions, including a nice one-handed skip pass for a Reggie Jackson three, which showed off some of McCain’s more advanced skills as a playmaker.

Here are all ten of McCain’s assists from tonight:

McCain’s stats tonight also put him in elite company, joining Steph Curry and Jason Kidd as the only rookies in NBA history to reach those totals in a game.

We’re still a long way from the conclusion of the NBA season, but McCain is making an early claim for the NBA Rookie of the Year title. It appears the Sixers have struck gold again midway through the first round on another guard from a blue blood program. Is it too early to say the Sixers have a Big 4?

Sit back and enjoy all 34 of McCain’s points: