7 observations: Jones Jr.’s block helps end Embiid streak originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Playing their second double overtime game in four nights, the Chicago Bulls outlasted the Philadelphia 76ers 109-105 Monday night.
The Bulls won their third straight game, ended the 76ers’ eight-game win streak, climbed closer to the eighth seed than the 11th seed and handed Joel Embiid his first loss in 13 career games against Chicago. Derrick Jones Jr.’s block on James Harden with 14 seconds left proved a massive play.
Here are seven observations:
1. Alex Caruso sat with his mid-left foot sprain, but Javonte Green returned from knee surgery for his first action since Dec. 31. Green didn’t take a shot and only posted one rebound and one steal in his mere nine minutes, but his return adds a depth piece for the stretch run. Coach Billy Donovan started Patrick Williams for Caruso after using Ayo Dosunmu in that role when Caruso sat recently with illness. The move split up the bench chemistry that Williams has developed, particularly with Coby White. But White played well, icing the victory with two free throws to finish with 11 points and give the Bulls a 25-23 edge in bench scoring.
2. Embiid had never lost to the Bulls until Monday. The Bulls are now 2-1 this season against the 76ers, but Embiid missed the Bulls’ victory on Jan. 6. Embiid, one of the leaders in a crowded most valuable player race, posted his typically masterful game with 37 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. But he fouled out with 3 minutes, 54 seconds left in the second overtime. Embiid had played with five fouls since the 6:16 mark of the fourth quarter. The Bulls initially did a good job trying to attack Embiid after his fifth foul, trying to draw his sixth. But they got away from this in the first overtime.
3. James Harden’s nightmarish season against the Bulls continued. He shot 2-for-14 with five turnovers and is now 8-for-44 in the season series with one more meeting at the United Center on Wednesday. Jones Jr.’s game-clinching block produced the biggest miss. With the Bulls leading 107-105 following two free throws from Zach LaVine, Harden beat Williams off the dribble and began to drive. But Jones Jr. rotated from the weak side to leap high and swat the layup away to Tobias Harris. He quickly attempted a 13-footer, but Jones Jr. rebounded that miss and fed White for his game-icing two free throws. Harden did finish with 12 assists.
4. Jones Jr.’s block was symbolic of an extremely active and engaged night from the Bulls’ defense. Not only did the 76ers shoot 42.2 percent, but the Bulls scored a whopping 24 points off 21 turnovers. Nikola Vucevic posted four steals, while LaVine and Demar DeRozan each added three. Patrick Beverley fouled out, but his pesky defense on Harden resonated. The Bulls are now 8-4 since Beverley arrived.
5. DeRozan’s turnover with 13.1 seconds left in regulation and his 3-point miss with 1.4 seconds left in the first overtime will revive the debate over whether he or LaVine should take the last shot. DeRozan long has been one of the NBA’s premier clutch scorers and delivered historic highlights last season by sinking game-winning 3-pointers on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. But he hasn’t had as much success this season, and Donovan has fielded questions on whether or not the Bulls’ late-game usage has become predictable. DeRozan’s 3-point miss came following a timeout and on a decent look but was strictly an isolation play. Publicly, LaVine has said mostly the right things about the situation. But he also said in December that he’s “made a lot of those shots” too.
6. LaVine finished with seven assists and, despite one poor turnover late, played an impressive floor game. He found Vucevic for back-to-back entry passes in the first half and consistently pushed tempo.
7. The Bulls picked up a full game on the Indiana Pacers, who lost to the Charlotte Hornets, and a half-game over the idle Washington Wizards. In fact, with their two-game lead over the 11th-place Wizards, the Bulls now sit closer to the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who they trail by one game. The Bulls are a half-game behind the ninth-place Toronto Raptors. Of those teams. the Bulls only play the Hawks in a head-to-head matchup over their final 11 games. Atlanta visits the United Center on April 4.
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