Sixers beat the Bulls 106-94 and now sit atop of the East with a one game lead on the Nets
The Sixers beat the Bulls tonight on the second game of a back to back by a final score of 106-94. They now have a one game lead on the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference for the first seed in the playoffs with seven games to play.
The team came out of the tunnel hot, hitting their first four shots of the game. Tobias and Joel got buckets early and Ben Simmons flexed his muscles with a powerful slam. Seth Curry was on fire to start the game, and scored 11 points in his first 10 minutes of action. The Sixers led 34-20 at the end of the first quarter.
Simmons and Matisse Thybulle were incredible on defense throughout the game, combing for three blocks and four steals on the night. The most impressive play defensively, came early in the first quarter from Thybulle, who blocked a three point attempt and then stole a pass all in the same play.
The Sixers kept their foot on the gas entering the second quarter and never trailed in the first half. Furkan Korkmaz would unfortunately leave with an apparent right ankle injury early in the second, but that wouldn’t stop the bench lineup led by Thybulle, Milton, and George Hill. Shots were falling throughout the first 24, as the Sixers would take a 60-43 lead into halftime.
| Halftime Stats | ||||
| Danny Green | 14 PTS | 3 REB | 3 AST | 4/7 3PT |
| Seth Curry | 11 PTS | 3 REB | 1 AST | 5/7 FG |
| Tobias Harris | 9 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | 4/6 FG |
| Ben Simmons | 6 PTS | 3 REB | 5 AST | 3/3 FG |
Leading by 21 points in the third, the Sixers couldn’t be stopped. Both Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris needed two massive improvements after Sunday night’s blunders in San Antonio, and they did just that. Joel Embiid would have himself a rare shaky night, exiting the game with two minutes left in the third quarter with nine points and seven rebounds. After the game, Embiid stated that he hasn’t been himself, but only because he is focusing on staying healthy for the playoffs. We can certainly live with that.
The Sixers beat up on the Bulls in the third quarter, taking a 83-63 lead into the final frame. Much like Hector Neris and the Phillies last night, the Sixers would allow their opponent to make it interesting. Chicago went on a 21-5 run to start the fourth quarter. Embiid was able to put a stop to the Bulls’ run with a clutch three pointer which would eventually seal a very important win for the Sixers on the road.
Back to backs flat out suck, but the Sixers pulled out a big win vs the Bulls by a final score of 106-94. They now command a one game lead on the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference. The team will head back to Texas to take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. The Nets, are still on the road in Milwaukee and will face the Bucks tonight.
| Final Stats | ||||
| Ben Simmons | 15 PTS | 6 REB | 5 AST | 6/7 FG |
| Seth Curry | 20 PTS | 4 REB | 4 AST | 7/10 FG |
| Danny Green | 14 PTS | 4 REB | 3 AST | 4/9 3PT |
| Tobias Harris | 21 PTS | 9 REB | 3 AST | 10/13 FG |
| Joel Embiid | 13 PTS | 10 REB | 3 AST | 4/13 FG |
Mandatory Credit: David Banks / USA Today Sports
