Joel Embiid was absolutely stellar, leading the Sixers to a thrilling victory. The star big man dropped a career-high 50 points in the win.
Embiid was expected to have a solid night, but no one expected this big of a game. The Bulls frankly don’t have anyone who can even hope to contain the MVP candidate, which was painfully evident during the game.
Chicago’s Wendell Carter Jr. was helpless to stop Embiid’s effortless performance. Carter Jr. was so bad that in the closing minutes of a close game, Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan has 6’8″ Thaddeus Young guarding Embiid. Donovan was desperate, just hoping the crafty veteran could do better.
It was a solid win all the way around with some exciting highs but also some unfortunate lows.
Sixers Recap: Good/Bad
The Good
First, as always, Joel Embiid. What can be said at this point? Sixers’ former Head Coach Jim Lynam was speechless after the game because he was in awe of what he had just seen.
Able to score at will from all over the court, pulling down 17 boards, all while playing elite defense. It’s no surprise that Embiid’s performance left Lynam and likely many others without words.
Joel Embiid is an absolute master of the game and, for many reasons, has proved that he should be the MVP frontrunner.
Tobias Harris, meanwhile, quietly had one of his best games yet as a Sixers. He did literally everything the Sixers needed him to do, finishing three assists short of a triple-double.
Harris has taken a lot of criticism for the massive contract he signed before last season, but he’s proving that deal may not have been too bad for Philly. He’s been so good, in fact, that he may even be on his way to his first All-Star game appearance.
Finally, Matisse Thybulle did a fantastic job defending Zach Lavine. Yes, Lavine finished the game with 30 points but in 38 minutes while shooting 9/28 from the field.
Even more impressive is that Thybulle held him to a paltry 2/10 from three. Thybulle has grown immensely on defense even since the beginning of the season and looks like he’ll be heavily relied upon come the playoffs.
The Bad
Here we are once again. The Philadelphia 76ers bench is terrible. How bad are they? They were a combined -59 in their short time on the court.
The bench can’t score or defend, and it’s getting old real quick. The Sixers bench single-handedly kept the Bulls in this game, and it’s only a matter of time before they cost the team another win.
Making a panic move is never the right idea, but at this point, the issue’s been clear for far too long. Not making an adjustment would be a gigantic mistake, especially considering all the many ways the team can address their problems.
Yes, the bench will be better when Shake Milton returns, but they struggled even when he was healthy. Daryl Morey has some serious work ahead of him before the March 25th trade deadline.
