Bulls fall to 76ers |
PHILADELPHIA - If the Chicago Bulls (15-20) aim to get back to .500, now may be the time to do it. Although no game in the NBA is easy, when you look at the Bulls schedule for January, it is one of the more manageable schedules. That is the perfect opportunity for this team to build on how they finished 2023 as they continue to improve.
Even with what most would call a relatively easy schedule, there are some challenging games on the horizon, and Tuesday was one of those games as the Bulls kicked off the New Year with a trip to the Wells Fargo Center to face the Philadelphia Sixers (23-10). This was the second meeting between the two over the past week and the third and final meeting of the season, as the Bulls took the first two contests to claim the season series. That alone should be considered an accomplishment, as the Bulls have struggled against this team for the better part of five seasons. Looking to avoid the season sweep, the Sixers got their MVP Joel Embiid back for the first time in four games and that would be all they would need in a 110-97 victory for the Sixers. Thirteen points may not seem like that big of a win, but the Bulls were fortunate to even make this a game, but they had help. Early on, it was the Tyrese Maxey and DeMar DeRozan show as they accounted for all of their team's points in the early going. DeRozan went on to lead the Bulls with 16 points, and anytime you don't have a single 20-point scorer, that is a problem. Trailing 11-6 midway through the first quarter, it was the Bulls who basically lost the game in the first 12 minutes as the Sixers went on a 32-12 run to end the first and put up a season-high 43 points in a quarter to lead 43-18 after one. They then stretched their lead to 30 points by halftime, with the Bulls facing a 73-32 deficit. Embiid returned to the lineup to drop a game-high 31 points for his 15th consecutive 30-point game, but he was more than just a scoring threat in this one. With Nikola Vucevic continuing to miss time with a groin injury, the Bulls have been exposed on the inside. This was no different as Embiid added 15 rebounds and 10 assists to finish with a massive triple-double. Throw in the 16-point first half from Kelly Oubre Jr and big games from Maxey (21 points) and Tobias Harris (20 points), and you can see why this Sixers team has the third-best offense in the NBA. With the game all but over to start the second half, it was up to the Bulls to finish strong as they were looking for any sort of positives to take over. Seeing Coby White (14 points) and Andre Drummond (11 points and 17 rebounds) continue to play well was a plus. Still, the Bulls also suffered a significant blow as Patrick Williams left the game with an ankle injury, leaving his status for Wednesday up in the air. Williams wasn't doing much before the injury, but with the Bulls already missing Zach Lavine, Torrey Craig, and Vucevic, adding anyone else to the injured list is not what this team needed, especially with a back-to-back looming. The biggest reason this game was as close as it was happened to come from their bench, especially the young guys, as they finally proved their worth on the court. Sure, Ayo Dosunmu was a huge factor off the bench with 15 points, but it was in the fourth quarter when the Bulls started to show signs of life and outscored the Sixers 25-12 over those 12 minutes. A lot of that resulted from Nick Nurse pulling his starters, but to see the young guys give the Bulls strong showings with added minutes has to serve as a confidence booster. One player who finally had an opportunity to get some touches was undrafted free agent Adama Sanogo. The former UConn star and final four MVP, Sanogo, has dominated the G-League and has forced himself onto the NBA roster. With Vucevic out and the potential of having Williams miss Wednesday, Sanogo may be thrown into the fire, but with eight points on a perfect 3-3 shooting to go with six boards in nine minutes, he showed he can handle some additional work. The same can be said about fellow rookie Jalen Phillips and second-year man Dalen Terry, as Billy Donovan used them a ton down the stretch. Terry has seen many more minutes over the past two weeks, but with six points and eight rebounds, more minutes could be coming. Phillips has taken a similar path to that of Sanogo, where the G-League wasn't the level of competition he needed to see. With a career-high seven points in 17 minutes, that may be the key to getting him more confidence. Chicago also received nine points from Jevon Carter off the bench, with Terry Taylor being the long Bull not to score. Chicago will look to get back on track Wednesday as they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks for the second leg of their back-to-back. On a more positive note, Lavine has been assigned to the Bulls G-League affiliation to begin his rehab, and he could possibly return to the lineup on Friday. Vucevic is also getting close and could be ready by the weekend, but the Lonzo Ball news has fans the most intrigued. After missing nearly the past two seasons with knee injuries, Ball is pain-free for the first time since his first surgery and has begun running. His next step will be to get some shooting in, as there is hope he can return either late this season or next season to give the Bulls a glimmer of hope potentially.
