The Philadelphia 76ers are in Chicago on Tuesday night to take on the Chicago Bulls, with both teams tied for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers will look to build on a blowout win over the Nets on Sunday, while the Bulls aim to recover from a tough loss to the Knicks on the same day. Even bigger than the game for the Sixers is the return of second-year guard Jared McCain, and how he will only improve an already impressive Sixers backcourt.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (5-1) at Chicago Bulls (5-1)
When: 8 p.m. EST
Where: United Center, Chicago, Ill
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass, FUBO
The Sixers are facing Chicago on the heels of a blowout victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, 129-105. They're already at five wins on the season, something they didn't achieve until December of last season, and they're not even at full strength. Paul George and Dominick Barlow are still out of the lineup, and Joel Embiid will be on a minutes restriction as he continues to increase his workload and improve his game in this early portion of the season.
The one player that is finally expected to play is second-year guard Jared McCain. After having a great start to his career with 15 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game over his first 23 games, McCain went down with a knee injury and was lost for the year. After that recovery, McCain injured his thumb in the preseason and is finally ready to make his season debut.
With McCain returning, the Sixers will have to find room for him alongside Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes, with Head Coach Nick Nurse eager to utilize the full power of his guard rotation, finally available. McCain is stepping onto the court alongside Maxey, showcasing that he's a true superstar, as he ranks second in scoring with 33.7 points per game and fifth in assists with 9.0 per game. Grimes has looked like he'll be locking up the Sixth Man of the Year Award, and Edgecombe is quickly becoming the favorite for Rookie of the Year.
All of the excitement over the guards would be great on its own, except Joel Embiid, after a horrible first game of the season, has stepped up in his last three and looked more like the player of a few years ago. While he has a good way to go on the defensive side of the ball, Embiid has already shown that he can fill up the sheet on offense.
The saddest part for the Sixers, or so it would seem, is that with all of the excitement over the return of Embiid and McCain, combined with the three-guard rotation going wild every game, Kelly Oubre Jr. has been lost in all of this. He probably wouldn't have it any other way. For one of the most unassuming players the city has seen, Oubre Jr. is quietly putting together a great start to the season. He's currently averaging 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but even more impressive is his 52.6% shooting from the floor and 41.7% from three-point range. He's been a huge help for a front court that's had some questions to it, to start the season.
The Bulls are returning home to take on the Sixers after an up-and-down weekend. They beat the Knicks by 10 points on Friday night, in Chicago, only to lose by 12 points on Sunday in New York. They didn't even play poorly on Sunday; the Knicks just played that much better. The Bullas had seven players in double figures and were led by Josh Giddey's triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
What the Bulls happen to do very well is shoot the ball from three-point range. The Bulls have four players who are attempting at least four three-pointers per game, and of that group, only Kevin Huerter is shooting below 40% on their attempts. Giddey is shooting 40.7%, which is the worst among the top five on the team. Center Nikola Vukevic is shooting 53.8% on 4.3 attempts per game, while Ayo Dosunmu is shooting 47.6%, Matas Buzelis is at 41.4%, and Patrick Williams is at 44%.
The Bulls have the size, shooting and chemistry to give the Sixers a high-scoring game, and with the home crowd on their side, they'll be looking to make a statement against the other top team in the conference.
As the Bulls are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, it just so happens that the Sixers are one of the teams above them in that department. While the Bulls have their players shooting over 40% with just over four attempts per game, the Sixers have four players taking more than six threes per game, and all are shooting over 40%. Tyrese Maxey has led the way at 46.4% on nine attempts per game, and Quentin Grimes is slightly behind him with 45.2% on seven attempts per game. The Sixers have been lights out from beyond the arc, and they're getting back one of their better young shooters for tonight's game.
The battles tonight, especially in the front court, will help define the game as the guards from both teams will be running and firing away from all over the place. The matchup between Vukevic and Embiid will be huge at both ends of the court, and Embiid will be looking to grab a few extra minutes than he's been accustomed to so far in the season. His real challenge will be on the defensive side, where the Bulls have the size and talent to make things difficult for the Sixers' front court.
This game, if all goes according to plan, will be a fast-paced and high-scoring affair that promises to be exciting from start to finish. The way the Sixers have fought during each game this season has shown that the character and drive for the team this season are much different than those in the past, and they believe they'll get the job done in the end. Tonight should be no different.
Sixers 137 - Bulls 133
