76ers vs. Bulls: Tyrese Maxey dazzles in second straight win

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The Philadelphia 76ers (17-27) played the Chicago Bulls (19-27) in the second game of their latest back-to-back. The Sixers won their second consecutive game with a final score of 109-97.

With Joel Embiid still out and the starters fresh off playing nearly 40 minutes in a great win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 76ers were already behind the eight-ball. Add in the fact that the Bulls had a rest day and the Sixers had to fly across the country the night after a game — a ridiculous scheduling decision the NBA must stop doing — and it was clear that this game would be an uphill battle.

At various points of the night, the Sixers’ defense was too lax. They let the Bulls push the ball up the court and get into the paint with too little resistance. Although they forced four turnovers in the first nine minutes, they were not locked in at all times. The Bulls punished them for it, getting 11 of their first 13 field goals from inside 10 feet of the hoop (the others were three-pointers).

The Bulls, a team whose strength is their high-tempo, shooting-laden offense, got pulled down to the Sixers level in the opening minutes. After a cold open, they started to heat up and show what they do best. But the Sixers, still living off of forcing turnovers and whatever they can get from their stars, were right there with them. Their ability to take care of the ball goes just as far as their activity in passing lanes and quick poke-aways.

The third quarter turned into a ping-pong of runs, seeing the Sixers lead decline, regenerate and decline again until the Bulls started to go ahead. The fourth quarter was more of a stalemate until Maxey and some aggressive defense propelled them ahead for good. Chicago committed 11 turnovers in the final frame; Philly had 10 in the entire game.

Maxey on the move

Back at the site of his first career triple-double, Tyrese Maxey got off to another great start, dropping 15 points on 6-8 shooting in the first quarter. The Sixers needed him even more as another star bit the dust.

Paul George subbed out from a shift after just 40 seconds midway through the second quarter and didn't return due to a finger injury. He was having another decent night (nine points on 3-6 shooting in 13 minutes) before he jammed his pink finger on an attempt for a rebound.

Teams certainly know that he’s the biggest threat when his team has the ball but it still seems as though they need time to get their game plans up to speed against the Sixers’ quickster. A pattern has emerged of Maxey having his most individual success early on and the team, not just him, building on it.

Maxey, who wrapped up the night with 31 points and nine assists, was the only source of playmaking the Sixers had going. No other teammates, save for Kelly Oubre Jr. and George in his brief playing time, were even consistent scorers. But thanks to a team-wide effort on defense, that's all Philly needed.

Oubre recorded his second consecutive double-double, serving as the 76ers’ second-leading scorer and leading rebounder. With Maxey resting to start the fourth quarter, K-9 kept things going with an and-one drive and a dish to a cutting Guerschon Yabusele. He’s still liable for a few boneheaded plays every game but he can be a difference-maker, contributing 22 points and 12 boards tonight.

The rookies and the vets

As two of the Sixers older players got into the game for the first time in a little bit, their healthy rookies continued to impress.

Kyle Lowry returned to action after missing the last 10 games with a hip injury. Nick Nurse once again paired Lowry with Reggie Jackson, who has racked up some DNPs despite being healthy and the Sixers being shorthanded recently. Nurse made it more interesting by playing Maxey alongside them, running a three-guard lineup in a zone defense.

Jackson scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting, one of his better performances of the season. One of his buckets came from a corner three that Adem Bona assisted perfectly. He swung the ball to the corner out of the short roll, continuing to demonstrate a passing feel that's advanced for a player of his position at his age/NBA experience.

Justin Edwards cleaned up a miss from Bona with a putback dunk and started the second half in place of George. While he shot poorly in this game, simply having someone his size who can serve different roles on offense is valuable. His biggest contributions to the Sixers’ win were his three steals.

The three-guard lineup was responsible for one of the Sixers’ biggest droughts offensively, underscoring so clearly why it’s not a lineup that should be turned to at any competitive point of a game. Fortunately for them, the Bulls left plenty of meat on the bones through poor free-throw shooting — mostly from Zach LaVine — and surrendering points off their many turnovers.

On Tuesday, the 76ers will start a six-game homestand against teams with winning records. Up first is the Los Angeles Lakers.

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