The Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Chicago to face the Bulls on the second of a home and away back-to-back. Having defeated the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers in their previous outing, the Sixers were looking to build some momentum as they aim to climb back up the Eastern Conference standings.
A close matchup from the jump, the Sixers and Bulls battled throughout. Paul George continued his work against the Cavs, scoring seven points early on and looking confident and capable on the second night of a back-to-back.
Unfortunately, George’s night would not last as he suffered an injury to the fifth finger (pinky) on his left hand while competing for a rebound against Bulls center Nikola Vucevic. George would miss the final five minutes of the first half and would not return to the game.
After the game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse addressed George’s injury, calling it a “jammed pinky finger on his non-shooting hand.” Nurse also acknowledged that George would undergo an MRI on Sunday.
Without George, it felt for a moment that the Sixers suddenly found themselves facing a mountain of a task, scoring just 20 points in a disheartening quarter. Philadelphia, to their credit, took the game step by step and found themselves battling back in the fourth, dominating the Bulls and securing the game with a 29-14 performance in the final quarter.
Philadelphia sealed this win behind a few particularly fantastic performances. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 31 points, nine assists, and two steals, while Kelly Oubre Jr. posted his second straight game with at least 22 points and 12 rebounds. In 11 games in Jan., Oubre has averaged 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, along with 1.8 steals. Eric Gordon also deserves special mention for an incredible two-way fourth-quarter performance that led to a total of 13 points and two steals.
Up next for the Sixers
The Sixers will head back to Philadelphia for another back-to-back, facing the Lakers and then the Kings on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 28 and 29.
Los Angeles comes into this game winners of five of their last six games and will have a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets the night leading into the matchup against Philadelphia.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m., and you can catch the game on TNT or, as always, listen live on 97.5 FM, The Fanatic.
