Bulls vs. Sixers final score: the Embiid streak is over as Bulls win in double overtime again

Mar 21, 2023 - 3:00 AM

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After their marathon win in double overtime at the United Center on Friday night, the Chicago Bulls found themselves in a similar situation in Philadelphia two days later.

The Bulls had the upper hand late as they led by two thanks to a couple of free throws from Zach LaVine. It also aided Chicago that Joel Embiid, who was playing on 5 fouls since the middle of the 4th quarter, had finally fouled out a couple of minutes earlier. Now just one defensive stop separated them from victory.

James Harden, who struggled all game (as he always seems to against the Bulls), made a drive to his left and towards the basket. But when he flipped up the potential game tying shot, it was sent back by Derrick Jones Jr. in a spectacular defensive play.

It was the end of a grueling defensive battle as both teams failed to score more than 100 points in regulation. As shown by the final score, the Bulls struggled to score the basketball effectively. They shot 41.5 percent from the field and had 20 assists on 39 made baskets. The Bulls weren’t effective in stretching the floor, making just seven of their 33 attempts from three. Chicago did a good job limiting offensive mistakes and easy opportunities they gave to the Sixers, committing just 10 turnovers.

But the defense did enough. Patrick Beverley played solid defense all night and did his best to slow down James Harden before fouling out during the second overtime period.

DeMar DeRozan had 25 points on 10 of 22 shooting, and as per usual, he made clutch baskets late including a tying layup with 37 seconds left in the first overtime. This made up for the end of regulation where he turned the ball over and allowed a chance for the Sixers to close the game (which they obviously missed). It was an atypical game from DeMar in terms of drawing contact and going to the line as he shot just four free throws.

LaVine was the leading scorer with 26 points while hitting eight of his 20 shots from the field. He also had seven assists and three steals. LaVine was aggressive in getting to the rim and finding his own shot, which helped him draw Embiid’s sixth foul. There were some typical clutch-nervy moments (losing the ball inexplicably with 33 seconds left) but LaVine got the Bulls over the line with his scoring.

Embiid continued to dominate against the Bulls, scoring 37 points with 16 rebounds, but for the first time in his career his team lost to the Bulls. His center counterpart Nikola Vucevic recorded another double double with 21 points and 12 rebounds while also being active defensively with four steals.

Coby White led the bench in scoring with 11 points but it was the aforementioned DJJ with the more unexpected contribution, with 10 points to be Chicago’s leader in plus/minus.

Also of note was that Javonte Green made his return back to the Bulls and played nine minutes, registering a rebound and a steal.

The win meant a lot for the Bulls playoff positioning. They are now two games ahead of the Wizards and 2.5 over the Pacers (who lost tonight in Charlotte) for 10th place. They are now closer to 8th than 11th, with Atlanta just a game above them with Toronto in between.

Chicago comes back home to the United Center to play the Sixers again on Wednesday night.