GAME RECAP: Chicago Bulls 117, Philadelphia 76ers 115
By Bret Stuter
Sometimes its not who you play, but when you play them. The red-hot Chicago Bulls extend their winning streak to six over the slumping Philadelphia 76ers. Here is the 117-115 game recap.
With the Philadelphia 76ers, you never know which team will show up. After two games of splitting overtime games, first defeating the Timberwolves, and then losing to the Thunder, the team was due for a regulation ending buzzer game. But the hope was for that game to end in a victory, not a defeat. In this game recap, it’s the latter.
A young Philadelphia 76ers roster proved once more that they are young and still have much to learn about NBA basketball. The 76ers have now lost six of their last seven games, and are not only tumbling out of the playoff picture, but back into a top ten pick in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft. The problem is, this team is no longer aiming at top draft picks.
Turnovers, fouls, free throws, oh my!
This was a game of the same problems as usual. And as such, the same outcome as usual. The Philadelphia 76ers, even without Joel Embiid, are vulnerable to turnovers (20 to Chicago’s 15) and personal fouls (23 to Chicago’s 16). But in a game decided by two points, the heartbreaker is that the game had a different outcome if the team could make free throws. The team was 13 of 18 from the foul line, including one of five from Ben Simmons.
The tough part of the game was the streakiness of the see saw lead changes. In a game with 15 lead changes, a Bulls lead of 12 points, and a late 76ers lead of eight points, there were plenty of reasons to believe that this was one which the 76ers could pull it out.
Basketball is a game of runs. From the 20-5 1st quarter run from the Bulls, the 9-0 Sixers run in the 2nd, 16-2 3rd quarter Sixers run, or 11-0 4th quarter Bulls run. None individually win or lose the game, regardless of when they occur.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) December 19, 2017
This game was winnable. The Philadelphia 76ers simply did not win it.
Player grades
J.J. REDICK. D+. 35 mins | 12 pts | 2 reb | 5 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 5 TO | 4-11 FG | 2-4 3PT| 1-1 FT | 1 PF | -18 | <strong>Summary</strong>: Redick continues to confound me at times. He is a veteran presence, brought to the team to add stability and dependable production. Somehow things to go awry. He had a decent game to a point, chipping in two key three-point shots. But his <strong>five turnovers</strong> were devastating, which compounded his <strong>below average 36.4 percent shooting</strong> from the floor. His -18 plus/minus rating was the worst for the team, and had he simply performed at an average clip, this game is won.. SG. Philadelphia 76ers
PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS. B+. 35 mins | 19 pts | 9 reb | 11 ast | 0 stl | 4 blk | 3 TO | 9-18 FG | 0-1 3PT| 1-5 FT | 2 PF | +1 | <strong>Summary</strong>: The pregame buildup claimed that Ben Simmons would shoot some pull-up jump shots. In the end, he distributed the ball and drove to the basket. It was a game of Simmons showcasing what Simmons does best. And he had a solid game. But while coach and media focus on that mid-range and jump shots, I continue to stare at the disappointing shooting from the free throw line. Until Ben Simmons gets a solid foul shot, games will continue to slip away.
B+. <span style=. F. Philadelphia 76ers. RICHAUN HOLMES
31 mins | 10 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 4 stl | 1 blk | 3 TO | 3-5 FG | 2-4 3PT| 2-2 FT | 3 PF | -10 | <strong>Summary</strong>: Covington was one of the less impacting players for the team offensively, but he certainly had an impact on defense. Covington has had a streak of rough outings offensively. In this game, his shots appeared to be falling. I wish he had taken more shots.. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. ROBERT COVINGTON. B-
A. 31 mins | 27 pts | 8 reb | 1 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 10-19 FG | 3-6 3PT| 4-4 FT | 5 PF | +3 | <strong>Summary</strong>: <a rel=. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. DARIO SARIC
The team did get a gutsy off-the-bench performance from T.J. McConnell as well. McConnell put up 11 points, five assists, six rebounds, and 1 steal in 31 minutes of play.
Next: Furkan Korkmaz injury complicates Philadelphia 76ers off-season
The loss drops the Philadelphia 76ers to 18th in the NBA, and in line for a lottery draft pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers face the Sacramento Kings on December 19, and hope to get back on the winning track. The Chicago Bulls will try to win their seventh consecutive game at home on December 20 as they host the Orlando Magic.