The Philadelphia 76ers (16-12) start a five-game roadtrip, their longest of the season, on Friday night as they visit the Chicago Bulls (14-15). For the Sixers, it will be a chance to get back into the win column after a horrendous showing against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Bulls have won four straight games, including two against the Cavaliers and two more against the Atlanta Hawks.
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (16-12) at Chicago Bulls (14-15)
When: 7:30 pm EST
Where: United Center, Chicago, Ill
Watch: NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers' short-term hopes begin and end with their injury report, and today is pretty much the same as the last game. VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Dominick Barlow are all listed as questionable with an illness that's been making its way through the locker room. Joel Embiid has also been listed as questionable with his 'right knee management" while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trandon Watford are out.
Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Paul George all had rough games against the Nets, combining to shoot 11-39 from the field and just 3-15 on their three-point attampts. Despite injuring his knee slightly in the third quarter, Joel Embiid finished the game with 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 8-13 from the floor. The team needs a much better showing from the aformentinoed three players if they're going to keep up with the Bulls.
For the team, the sky is not falling despite the loss to a bad Nets team. What needs to happen, immediately, is for head coach Nick Nurse to figure out a way to get Embiid playing the same style of basketball the team runs when he's not in the lineup. With Embiid on the floor, the ball is removed from Maxey, more than it should be, while they allow Embiid to bring the ball up the court or control possession from the outside. The Sixers are 6-6 with Embiid on the floor and 10-6 without him. It's a shame to say it but, the commitment, from coaching, to Embiid as the center of attention is going to fail this team.
The Bulls are riding high on a four-game winning streak, having beat the Cavaliers in back-to-back games, followed by back-to-back wins over the Hawks. Despite Coby White leading the team in scoring at 21.4 points per game, the Bulls have become Josh Giddey's team.
The former sixth overall draft pick is having the best season of his career, averaging 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game while shooting a career-high 40.2% on his three-point attempts. Giddey has made huge strides in his game since coming to Chicago and he's still only 23 years old.
The Bulls The Bulls have a top ten offensive team as well as three-point shooting team. The problem is that their defense is one of the worst in the league and it's landed them with a sub .500 record.
The Tyrese Maxey bounce-back game should be this evening in Chicago. After arguably the worst showing of the season for the third leading scorer in the league, Maxey should be able to move better and get easier looks with the way the Bulls play defense. McCain and George will be looking to fix the shooting bug that effected almost the whole team against the Nets.
The big question, as always, is whether Embiid will play or not? As the team has been off for two days, the expectation should be that Embiid is on the court but the team has been cautious, not incorrectly, with how they're handling Embiids management this season. The hope is for the star center to play as often as they feel so that he's as close to peak health and basketball shape as he can be when the playoffs come around.
Bulls 126 - Sixers 119
