The Philadelphia 76ers (23-15), once again without the services of Joel Embiid, faced the Chicago Bulls (18-21). The Sixers collected a loss after winning their past three games as Chicago shot the lights out, led by 10 triples from Zach LaVine. Chicago took the 126-112 win, snapping a 12-game losing streak against Philadelphia that dates back to 2019.
Let's break down the Sixers' loss to the Bulls.
Sixers player notes:
James Harden: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 4-17 FG shooting
The Beard didn't record a field goal until late in the second quarter but still had a well-rounded game on both ends of the court. His brutally cold shooting night really held the Sixers' offense back despite his ability to dime up his teammates like clockwork and avoid turnovers. Although he provided a pair of very clutch triples in the fourth quarter, his shooting woes (paired with the Bulls having a great shooting night) were a key reason for the loss.
Tyrese Maxey: 26 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 8-15 FG shooting
Maxey got his night started with a pair of catch-and-shoot triples and had a very good shooting night (albeit, one that was overshadowed by an opponent). He was instrumental for the Sixers as both an off-ball weapon and as the main creator during certain stints when Harden rested. His playmaking really shined with some impressive kick-out dishes on the move. On defense, he did a good job fighting through screens.
Tobias Harris: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 9-16 FG shooting
Harris did a lot of his scoring off the bounce and was a key presence on the glass. He had his face-up game working well, cooking Chicago defenders with pull-up middies and strong takes to the hoop while also cashing in on some triples. It looked more like a vintage Tobi night than a new Tobi one but it was effective nonetheless.
De'Anthony Melton: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-8 FG shooting
Melton's shooting on above-the-break triples is becoming nearly automatic. He made three of them tonight in five attempts. Although he had a solid impact on defense, he found himself in foul trouble, picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter.
Bulls player notes:
Zach LaVine: 41 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 14-19 FG shooting, 11-13 3PT shooting
LaVine had himself an unreal performance. He put up a scorching hot shooting night, particularly from deep, and brought a much-needed playmaking element. No matter what context a 3-pointer from him came in, it hit the bottom of the net on each of his first eight attempts. He kept up his stellar night down the stretch to hand the Sixers a loss.
Nikola Vucevic: 19 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 blocks, 8-14 FG shooting
Vucevic controlled the glass for the Bulls and finished off plays for his teammates with extreme efficiency. His size and touch around the rim were crucial against an undersized Sixers team. He also made plenty of nice passes as he drew attention from the defense to notch a triple-double.
Demar DeRozan: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 4-13 FG shooting
The Bulls' leading scorer got off to an inauspicious start, going scoreless in the first quarter and having an overall poor shooting night. His co-stars had the bigger impacts tonight but he still caused trouble for the Sixers' defense around the dominance of LaVine and Vucevic.
Game notes:
1st half
- With Embiid missing his second straight game, Doc Rivers went with the small-ball lineup to start again. The shooting helped them get good looks beyond the arc and they took four triples in their first nine shots, cashing in on two of them. With some quick and active hands on the defensive end, they got themselves chances for transition buckets.
- Harden did almost everything but score to open the game for the Sixers. He pushed the pace, got rebounds, set up his teammates and created more scoring opportunities for Philly with his defense.
- Vuvevic had nine points and seven rebounds in the first quarter but his success wasn't indicative of him punishing the Sixers' small-ball lineup. Former Sixer Andre Drummond proved to be tough to deal with for the Sixers' bench unit, though, as he used his size to score.
- The Bulls made a 21-10 run in roughly six minutes in the second quarter that allowed them to tie the game. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic were responsible for each Chicago basket as either the scorer or the provider of the assist (or both).
- The Bulls led 59-55 at halftime, shooting over 60 percent both from the field and from deep. The Sixers' respective percentages hovered around 40.
2nd half
- After hardly even looking at the rim with the ball in the first half, P.J. Tucker got the second half started with an assist to Maxey on a corner triple out of the roll and a floater.
- Matisse Thybulle played several stints tonight and provided some key defense against LaVine in the halfcourt. Still, the Bulls star was unconscious on his 3-point shooting. Many of his looks came early in the shot clock and on the fastbreak and he had 30 by the time the third quarter ended. Chicago led 99-84 entering the final period.
- Montrezl Harrell had another solid scoring night but his impact was nowhere near what it was on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. The Bulls were able to score around or through him often and he recorded no defensive rebounds.
- The Sixers tried to make a fourth-quarter push thanks to some key plays from Georges Niang (a dish to Harrell for an open dunk and a triple) and Maxey (drawing a pair of shooting fouls) but the Bulls just kept making their long-range shots.
- Paul Reed played for meaningful minutes for the first time in a while, subbing in for Harrell with just over seven minutes left in the game.
- Harris came through with some clutch buckets to make it a single-digit game. DeRozan and LaVine answered with some tough shots to push the Bulls' lead back up but some clutch triples from Harden kept Philly in it. The Bulls, though, were just too hot to stop. They shot 20-34 from downtown.
Random thoughts:
- Call me a boomer for whining about uniforms if you must, but I'm not a fan of the Sixers wearing red against the Bulls. The NBA chooses the jerseys for each team and didn't do a great job with this one.
- I already went more in-depth on Tucker's struggles recently so I won't do it again here but they really are rough. How many times does he have to play hot potato with the ball whenever he receives a pass near the top of the key before Rivers realizes he can't initiate offense through him? It's doing everyone a disservice besides the defense.
The Sixers will hit the road for the first time in 2023 on Sunday and face the Detroit Pistons at 3:00 PM EST.
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