The Sixers’ ceiling is undoubtedly higher when both All-Stars are available.
Still, they couldn’t have replaced Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid much better than Thursday night at United Center. With this pair quarantined after exposure to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, the Sixers overtook the Bulls in their first game after the All-Star break, a 127-105 victory.
Tony Bradley scored 14 points from 7 of 7 shots and had five rebounds and three blocks, while Matisse Thybulle tied his career record with five steals. Tobias Harris posted 24 points out of 8 out of 15 shots.
If Embiid returns a lab-based negative PCR coronavirus test on Friday, he will be released to play the game of the Sixers against the Wizards. The first Simmons can return to the team’s activities on Saturday.
Here are three observations about the Sixers’ 25-12 victory over Chicago:
Spare matches shine
Bradley started for the first time since January 31 and made the most of the opportunity. He was sharp and obviously ready to play on his first pass, sinking into a dunk after rolling over to the edge of a handoff dribble with Harris and swerving on a sharp jump hook over Wendell Carter Jr.
We knew earlier this season that the rebound was a strong one for Bradley, but he showed on Thursday that he has some touch and offensive skills as well.
Embiid was watching and impressed by what he saw of Bradley.
“I love the support, especially with Tony,” said coach Doc Rivers. “Tony has lost a good 25 pounds since the season started. He works every day on his body and his ability. Just because he doesn’t play doesn’t mean that the other guys don’t realize what he’s doing. I thought the whole bank – everyone – was so happy for him while he was playing.
“These first two baskets, Dwight (Howard) was running around on the floor celebrating, because they see the work. The fans, they are not able to see the work that the guys who don’t play (regularly) do. That was good tonight, for all of us. “
Thybulle, who started in Simmons’ place, was excellent from the jump, catching four steals in the first quarter and disrupting almost everything the Bulls tried to do offensively. Zach LaVine didn’t score until Thybulle went to the bank. He had 19 points out of 7 out of 16 shots in the game.
The fact that Thybulle was able to check a star while creating chaos away from the ball remains impressive. The balance between being solid and looking for outstanding plays was sometimes tricky for Thybulle early in his NBA career, but there is no doubt that he is able to do both when he is at his best.
We mentioned this statistic several times, but it is a good one: entering this game, the percentage of theft of 3.2 and 2.6 blocks of Thybulle were comfortably better among all wings of the NBA, for Cleaning the Glass. He’s a stranger.
Not every performance has to be tied to the March 25 trading deadline, of course, but let’s just say that the Six appreciate Thybulle’s special defense talents and see him as more than a decent young player, as they should. His ability to defend the best perimeter scorers is still very valuable in the playoffs.
Not that it was necessary for it to have a positive impact, but Thybulle’s pullover was also falling. He scored 13 points, the best of the season, in pitches 5 out of 5.
Not 50, but not too poor
Asked before the game what the Sixers expected to see from Harris, Rivers said: “Fifty points would be great, you know.”
That’s the amount Embiid scored the last time the Sixers played against the Bulls, the best of their career and, obviously, an unrealistic goal. Harris was well off that pace in the first period, missing his first five attempts at field goal, but he didn’t lose any aggression. He hit eight free throws in the first half, hitting seven.
Much of the Six’s offense comes from Simmons and Embiid, but Harris doesn’t seem to care when more responsibility passes to his shoulders. Rivers knows he feels comfortable operating in pick-and-roll and is adept at consistently finding intermediate looks for himself, and Harris was good in those two areas on Thursday.
Despite the slow start, Harris had his way against overall number 4, Patrick Williams, looking like a veteran star. The Six did not need him to be out of this world because of what they received from Thybulle and Bradley, but they did give Harris credit for leading offensively without Simmons and Embiid.
Rivers, who was feeling bad on Wednesday and missed the Sixers’ training, also liked what he saw from Seth Curry, who made 12 points out of 5 out of 15, seven assists and two steals.
“It was very encouraging,” he said. “I was obviously in bed during training, but I watched it in the movie. He and Tobias set the tone yesterday. We had a hard workout yesterday. … In my day, everyone called it the trash can practice where you practice for three or four hours and they throw the trash can out until the first guy pukes, and then the workout is over. You can’t do that today. we were tough, and I thought Seth and Tobias in particular set the tone … . and I thought that prevailed today. ”
Second strong unit while Howard does his job
The Sixers’ bench helped turn the tide in the second half of the team’s victory over Jazz before the All-Star break. Howard unlikely made a three-point hit during a productive run, helping to give the Sixers a chance to defeat Utah.
Led by an aggressive Furkan Korkmaz (16 points) and a physical Howard, rolling over the edge, the second unit started from where it left off in Chicago. Howard did not convert all opportunities close to the ring, missing a dunk and throwing the ball out of the court in a move in which he thought he had been fouled, but he held on and was quite effective.
When playing well, Howard is still a nuisance to his opponent, and not just because of his regular hits outside the ball. He set the record for the season with 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Although former Sixer Thaddeus Young had 14 points in 17 minutes, being difficult to control at times for Howard and Bradley, the Sixers’ bench surpassed Chicago’s by 55-33. Rivers used a nine-player rotation, with Tyrese Maxey not showing up until the game was decided in the fourth period.
“I think it shows that we have what we need to win,” said Howard. “We just need to believe. We have a complete list of guys who are very talented and can help with both ends. It’s all about believing and I think for guys like Tony tonight, it shows him that he can compete and play at a high level. He just has to continue to work hard as he has done every day.
“I am very proud of him, proud of this team and of how we fared tonight – but we have to continue. We celebrate tonight on the plane and when we land in Washington, it’s all about what we have to do in Washington. I am very happy for this team and for the success we have had, but we must continue to improve. “