Sixers Bulls Joel Embiid

Sixers Sunday Simulcast: Maxey’s triple-double, Joel Embiid’s return, and a 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls

A great Sunday Simulcast today – with the Sixers picking up their 4th win in 5 games, moving to 7-15 on the season with a 108-100 win over the Chicago Bulls. Joel Embiid made his return to the floor, the Sixers at one point held a 19 point lead, but let Chicago claw back to cut it to 4 at the midpoint of the 4th.  

At one point, the Sixers led by 19, but in classic fashion, they made us sweat a little, letting the Bulls cut the lead to four midway through the fourth quarter. Still, they closed it out, and there were plenty of positives to take away from this one.

Sixers – Good Performances:

Tyrese Maxey + Joel Embiid Pick-and-Roll

Finally, some Maxey-Embiid pick-and-rolls to restore order to the realm. Coming into this game, they’d only shared the floor for six minutes all season. That changed in a big way against Chicago, and it was beautiful.

Maxey notched his first career triple-double, logging 25 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds in an exhausting 42 minutes. His chemistry with Embiid was electric, especially in the second quarter when Joel dropped 19 points in just nine minutes.

After starting the game 0-6, Embiid warmed up fast, finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds. The pick-and-roll between these two has been one of the most lethal weapons in the league for years, and they leaned on it heavily against the Bulls. Let’s just hope Joel can string a few games together without needing a stint in street clothes.

WATCH: Joel Embiid Dominates in His Return, Tyrese Maxey First Career Triple-Double as Sixers beat Bulls

Kelly Oubre

Kelly Oubre’s been on a heater lately, and tonight was no exception. He hit 2-3 from deep, continuing his recent hot streak from beyond the arc, and stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and a highlight-reel block.

Oubre’s hustle plays were everywhere, and his effort has been a driving force behind the Sixers’ mini-turnaround. If he keeps this up, he might just become a fan favorite (if he isn’t already).

Sixers – Bad Performances:

Guerschon Yabusele

Yabu got the start at power forward and handled some backup center minutes, but it was a quiet night for him. In just 14 minutes, he posted a -11 plus/minus and looked out of sync with Embiid back in the mix.

There was a silver lining, though—his between-the-legs save from out of bounds might be the play of the night. How he managed to get that ball under himself and back in play is a mystery, considering the size of his… well, you know.

Still, Yabu’s backup five minutes weren’t great, and his offensive contributions were minimal (4 points on 2-5 shooting). Hopefully, he can find his rhythm as the rotation settles.

Other Notes:

Let’s talk about Joel and the three-point discourse. He went 0-5 from deep tonight, and Twitter predictably lost its collective mind.

Embiid should be taking those shots. The mere threat of him shooting from outside is what makes this offense work. Don’t believe me? Look at how Vucevic reacted to a Maxey drive after biting on Embiid’s pump fake. That’s space creation 101.

This doesn’t mean Joel should live at the three-point line, but let’s not act like he should abandon it entirely. Balance is key, and anyone calling for him to camp out in the paint every possession is ignoring the evolution of NBA offenses.

Not saying he should NEVER be down low.  It obviously needs to be a mix.  But there are too many people that think we should be clogging the lane every single play to force feed our turnover friendly, always injured, always-double-teamed center – rather than opening up the floor.  Quiet. 

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