The 76ers (22-9) close their four-game holiday road trip in Chicago Saturday, seeking their third consecutive shorthanded victory.
In the absence of Joel Embiid (right ankle sprain) and Nico Batum (right hamstring strain), the Sixers recorded a 131-127 win over Houston Friday to open their trip-ending back-to-back.
As of pregame Friday, while Nick Nurse expects Embiid to remain out for Saturday’s meeting with the Bulls, he also expects Batum to return to the floor.
Tyrese Maxey led the way Friday - notching the third 40-plus point performance of his career - scoring 27 points in the first half and finishing with a game-high 42 points.
Maxey’s 42 point outing led all scorers in the NBA in Friday night’s action.
Nurse loved what he saw.
"I thought [Tyrese] was really great with his jets on tonight. I just love it when he takes off and tries to make a play. He took hits and bumps… I loved his aggressiveness tonight."
Tobias Harris recorded his fourth consecutive 20-plus point outing, but Maxey was even more appreciative of Harris’ contributions on the other side of the ball:
“He was big scoring-wise tonight, but I think the best thing he did was guard Sengun down the stretch. We went small, switched one through five, and put Tobias on him. And Tobias did a hell of a job guarding him. He was bigtime.”
Saturday’s matchup marks the opener of a home-and-home with Chicago, as the Bulls will visit Philadelphia on Tuesday (Jan. 2). Following Saturday’s game, the Sixers will play six of their next seven games at home.
The first meeting between the Sixers and Bulls this season was Dec. 18 in Philadelphia, as Chicago took a 108-104 victory. Embiid recorded a 40-point, 15-rebound double-double in the contest, while Chicago saw major contributions from Coby White (24 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast) and Nikola Vucevic (23 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast).
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
The Bulls (14-19) hold the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is 5-5 in its last 10 games, most recently falling to the Pacers, 120-104, Thursday at home.
Patrick Williams led the Bulls in scoring Thursday, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. DeMar DeRozan totaled 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
DeRozan leads Chicago in scoring this season, averaging 22.3 points per game, plus 3.7 rebounds and a team-high 5.5 assists per game.
Zach LaVine (right foot inflammation), Nikola Vucevic (left adductor strain), Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery), Onuralp Bitim (nasal fracture), and Torrey Craig (right plantar fascia sprain) are all out versus Philadelphia. Jevon Carter (right ankle sprain) and Patrick Williams (right ankle sprain) are both probable.
FRIDAY’S KEY PERFORMANCES
Tyrese Maxey
- Maxey finished with 42 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a block. He shot 13-for-26 overall and 14-for-15 from the foul line in 41 minutes of play.
Tobias Harris
- Harris totalled 22 points, four rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks in the victory, shooting 10-for-18 overall.
De’Anthony Melton
- Melton finished with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in his 36 minutes of play.
Marcus Morris Sr.
- Morris tallied a bench-high 14 points, plus five rebounds. He shot 4-for-8 from the field, including a massive 3-pointer in crunch time to help seal the win.
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday’s matchup is scheduled to tip at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
QUOTE TO NOTE
Nurse on Harris’ play of late:
"He’s just been so much more in control, so much more decisive. He was attacking aggressively. The seven assists for him is a bunch from that position, considering he doesn’t really handle the ball. He’s been really good lately."
UNIFORMS
The Sixers are scheduled to wear their white Association Edition uniforms, while Chicago will wear its black Statement Edition uniforms.
@SIXERS SOCIAL