Tonight, the Sixers defeated the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, 127-105, despite being short Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, who lost the game thanks to the league’s health and safety protocols.
Matisse Thybulle and Tony Bradley started in the absence of the stars, and both were fantastic. Thybulle made all five shots, including three 3s. He had five robberies. I can’t wait to see the match data tomorrow, as Matisse made a great save from Zach LaVine (who made 7 of 16 overall). Bradley was a revelation. He scored 14 points out of 7 out of 7 field shots, along with five rebounds and three blocks.
The Sixers’ bench, overall, was fantastic. Furkan Korkmaz had 16 points, while Shake Milton had 10. But the story off the bench was Dwight Howard, who followed his impressive game against Utah with another great performance tonight. Howard had 18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 24 minutes.
If you had told me that the Sixers scored 127 without Joel and Ben, I would have guessed that Tobias Harris was 40. No! He was solid, but not spectacular. He scored 24 points from 15 shots and only needed to play 25 minutes.
Congratulations to Doc Rivers for having his undermanned squadron ready to steal this victory on the road.
The Sixers’ next game is a clash tomorrow night with Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards in DC, in what Philly hopes will be the return of Joel Embiid.