After a quick pair of days at home, the 76ers (48-23) are back on the road once again, tipping off a four-game journey west with a stop in Chicago.
Wednesday’s matchup with the Bulls (34-37) marks the latter end of a home-and-home with Chicago, with the Bulls winning the first matchup in double overtime, 109-105, Monday in Philadelphia.
Looking to adjust and respond on Wednesday, Doc Rivers cited offensive execution as his primary area of focus.
“I thought we played really good defense overall,” Rivers said postgame. “So I’ll take our defense that we played all night. I just can’t live with the way we played offense, so we have to fix that. That’s every night - you’ve just got to be good on both ends.”
Joel Embiid continued his record-setting streak Monday, notching his 10th consecutive game with 30-plus points, finishing with a game-best 37 points.
Midway through a stretch featuring seven of eight games on the road, Embiid is ready to embrace the long trip ahead.
“We’re trying to find ways to get better every single game, even if it’s small,” Embiid said. “I thought tonight could’ve been better. You just move on to the next one. You learn from it. The biggest key is just staying together.”
Zach LaVine led the Bulls in scoring Monday, finishing with 26 points, two rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a block. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points, eight rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block. Nikola Vucevic notched a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double.
As of Tuesday, the Sixers occupy the No. 3 seed in the East, 0.5 games behind the No. 2 Celtics. The Bulls are fighting for their spot and seeding in the play-in tournament, occupying the No. 10 seed.
Embiid also continues to lead the NBA in scoring (33.6 ppg), while James Harden leads the league in sharing (10.8 apg).
Wednesday’s matchup is a 8:00 p.m. ET tip.
Monday’s Key Performers
- Embiid scored a game-high 37 points, plus 16 rebounds and three blocks. He shot 11-for-22 overall and 15-for-17 from the free-throw line. Embiid played 44 minutes before ultimately fouling out in the second OT period.
- Maxey tallied 22 points, five rebounds, six assists, and a block in 46 minutes of play, finishing at a team-high +9.
De’Anthony Melton
- Melton led the bench unit Monday, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, four steals, and a block. He shot 7-for-15 from the field and made a game-high five 3-pointers in 39 minutes of play.
76ers vs. Chicago Bulls: Mar. 20, 2023
1 / 7PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 20: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers attempts a lay up between DeMar DeRozan #11 and Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls at The Center on March 20, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Quote to Note:
Tyrese Maxey on meeting the 1982-83 76ers Championship team:
“Talking to all of them was pretty cool. Just getting the knowledge… I had to go around and talk about their roles, and the team. Some of them had very small roles, but they were also huge roles because they were able to go out there, cheer on their teammates, and be happy about everybody’s success.”
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