Sixers Fall to Bulls After Lackluster Offensive Showing

Joel Embiid‘s 4th game in a row sitting on the bench proved to affect the Sixers offensively, as they failed to score over 100 points in Saturday’s loss to the Bulls. Chicago kept a lead throughout most of the game and pulled away in the 4th quarter. The Bulls have been under .500 for the entire season, a task that not even the 3-29 Detroit Pistons achieved. Chicago won 105-92 in a game that Nick Nurse will want his guys to remember and improve from.

Philly ends the 2023 section of the season with a 22-10 record and is on track to finish the season 56-26, which would be their best record since the 2000-2001 season. Coincidentally, the Sixers ended up winning the Eastern Conference that year.

The 76ers’ 92 points against Chicago is the lowest total they have scored all season. Previously, the least they put up in a game was in their loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota. Joel Embiid’s absence is clearly damaging the scoring numbers for Philadelphia. Embiid averages a league-high 35 points per game and does it with historic efficiency. Without him, the Sixers look lost and struggle to score. Tyrese Maxey‘s 20 points were the most for Philly but he still is in a shooting slump. Maxey is 6/23 (26%) from three in the past 3 games and isn’t playing like his normal All-Star-like self. He needs to step it up in order to continue to win games at the rate Philadelphia is winning them.

Embiid’s offense was clearly missed, but what wasn’t as obvious was the lack of rebounding without him. Chicago out-rebounded Philadelphia 53-36. If Embiid was playing, the rebound total for the 76ers would almost definitely be much higher and the Bulls’ would be much lower. Tobias Harris and Paul Reed each tied for the most rebounds for Philadelphia with 7, which is much lower than Joel Embiid’s average of 12. The Bulls simply worked harder on the boards than the 76ers and it led them to take down one of the hottest teams in basketball.

The Sixers take a break for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and will come back on January 2nd to take on the Bulls again, this time at Home. Joel Embiid has a chance to return for this game, and if he does, they can prove that at full strength they can beat teams that they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.