Following a 2-2 road trip, the Philadelphia 76ers will return home for a rematch against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
It’s unclear whether reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will be available to join them.
The Sixers are 2-5 this season without Embiid, who missed the road trip with a sprained right ankle.
Philadelphia fell 105-92 against the Bulls on Saturday and looked a bit flat without Embiid. Tyrese Maxey scored 20 points and Tobias Harris added 15 as the Sixers registered a season-low point total.
“That was a difficult road trip,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “And without Joel the whole way, I think that I kind of said (before the trip), ‘I’m looking forward to it. We need it.’ I’m glad we got out of it 2-2. I think any of the wins on that road trip were going to be hard and we were able to pick off two of them.
“And I thought we fought really hard in the other two.”
The Sixers received some good news with the return of Nicolas Batum on Saturday after a five-game absence with a strained right hamstring.
Ultimately, the Sixers realize that they will need Embiid in order to achieve their long-term goals. Philadelphia hasn’t reached the conference finals since 2001 and hasn’t won a championship since 1983.
“This was a good road trip for us,” Harris said. “Two-and-two, to finish out with kind of a mini-identity to this group without playing with the big fella. And to do that on the fly, we’re adjusting defenses out there. … We grew and developed as a team through those games.”
The depleted Bulls will look for the home-and-home sweep when they battle the Sixers.
Playing without key injured standouts Zach LaVine (foot), Nikola Vucevic (groin) and Torrey Craig (foot), the Bulls received 24 points from DeMar DeRozan, 20 from Coby White, 14 from Alex Caruso and 13 from Patrick Williams.
Center Andre Drummond took advantage of Embiid’s absence with 15 points, 23 rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Bulls closed 2023 with a 9-5 record in December.
The goal now is to continue their winning ways as the calendar flipped to 2024.
“The season didn’t start how we wanted it to start,” White said. “Everybody’s ready to contribute when the opportunity presents itself.”
The victory was hardly seamless as the Bulls committed 16 turnovers.
But with a miniscule bench, they found a way to win.
While the injured players are trending in a positive direction, the Bulls must protect the basketball with a thin bench. The margin for error will clearly be smaller.
“We weren’t that great in the first quarter with six turnovers,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “But as the game went on, we got better.”
DeRozan continued his stellar play while showcasing his strong mid-range game and the ability to drive to the basket.
Williams has noticed.
“I’ve always felt most comfortable in the mid-range area, working on getting all the way to the rim and getting fouled that way,” Williams said.
LaVine, whose name has been reportedly included in trade talks, has missed the last 15 games with right foot inflammation. He was assigned to the Windy City Bulls in the G League on Sunday for a rehab stint.
–Field Level Media