Sixers Bulls Recap Road Trip Jabari Walker

Sixers bounce back in Chicago, end road trip with a 127-121 win over the Bulls

Two nights after getting embarrassed in Cleveland, the Sixers went into Chicago and beat the Bulls 127-121 on Sunday to close out a 2-1 road trip.

They’re now 9-2. The Bulls are 1-8, and it showed. Every Sixers starter scored in double figures. Jaylen Brown led the way with 29, Tyrese Maxey had 27 and LeBron James added 22. Joel Embiid finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Sixers improve to 9-2 with 127-121 win over Bulls

Embiid Still Grinding Into Form

If you were hoping Joel Embiid would shake off Friday’s 0-for-9 nightmare with a 40-burger in Chicago, that certainly did not happen. His first look was a wide-open three that barely drew iron. His next trip, Jalen Smith swatted him in the post.

Not great but overall, nothing to be worried about. Gotta give the big man time to adjust to the floor spacing with his new teammates and overall, we typically see Embiid come to form in late December and January anyways. The Sixers are winning. Bad games in November mean nothing in the long run. Relax, everyone.

Anyways, Embiid’s first bucket didn’t come until 6:42 left in the first quarter, and even that was a tip-in of his own miss. It was ugly, but it went in, and that’s all he needed to get going.

From there, Embiid started grinding. He knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers in the second, lived on the offensive glass and showed up late with a putback and two big free throws to help put Chicago away.

Was it vintage Embiid? Of course not, but it was a hell of a lot better than Friday, and on a night when his jumper still isn’t right, that’s a win.

Speaking of Slow Starts…

Another game, another first quarter where the Sixers looked like they were still on the bus. LeBron coughed it up twice in the opening minutes, and the worst team in the East ran out to a 23-16 lead.

This isn’t new, unfortunately…

Coming into Sunday, the Sixers’ first-quarter net rating sat at minus-9.6, 27th in the NBA. For a team with championship hopes, that’s unacceptable. You can get away with it against a lousy Bulls team but you won’t get away with it against Boston on Tuesday.

The only reason they weren’t trailing after one was pure effort on the offensive glass. The Sixers piled up 17 second-chance points in the first quarter and somehow took a one-point lead into the second.

Bad offense, great hustle.

More Jabari Walker Means Less Adem Bona

Jabari Walker started the season as an afterthought. Two games as the backup center, and he might have taken the job for good.

With Adem Bona sidelined again, Walker came in and grabbed seven rebounds, three on the offensive end, in his first stint alone.

He’s 6-foot-7, which is tiny for an NBA center, and it doesn’t matter. He plays like he’s 6-foot-11 and mad about something. He’s physical, relentless and always around the ball. He comes down with rebounds he has no business getting.

He even stepped out and drained a three from the top of the key in the third quarter, which is more than Bona has given this team all season.

As Doc Rivers Once Said, Don’t Play With Your Meat

… Or something like that? I forget, honestly but it doesn’t matter. I am sorry for bringing up Doc Rivers but the Sixers really did let Chicago back into this game when they had zero business being there.

The Sixers led 60-50 late in the second quarter behind a 16-point first half from LeBron. Chicago tied it at 68 early in the third on a Matas Buzelis three, but the Bulls’ defense is one of the worst in the league, and the Sixers kept scoring.

Brown’s turnaround jumper put them up double digits, and Walker’s three made it 12. The Bulls just wouldn’t go away. Caleb Wilson hit a three to cut it to 116-113.

They got it done from there. Maxey buried a side-step three off a wraparound pass from LeBron, Embiid scored inside, and the Sixers made their free throws to close it out.

Sixers are back home on Tuesday to face the Boston Celtics and unlike most of you drama queens on social media, I don’t give a shit if Jaylen Brown says anything about the Celtics or Jayson Tatum.

That’s none of my business and that whole storyline is boring. Brown did comment and say that there was nothing to discuss, so hopefully we’ll all just leave it at that.

Celtics are 8-2. Sixers are 9-2 and tied with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA. Tuesday night in South Philly will be absolute cinema.

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