The Philadelphia 76ers bounced back in a big way following their opening night loss to the Boston Celtics.
Opening night was not a fun one for the Philadelphia 76ers. Aside from Ben Simmons, there was little productivity from the core pieces. Markelle Fultz scored five points, Joel Embiid turned it over five times, and J.J. Redick struggled with his shot.
Thursday night’s home opener against the Chicago Bulls was a stark change of pace.
After a 41-point first-quarter explosion from the Bulls, Brett Brown’s squad maintained control from that point forward. Embiid led the way with an efficient 30 points, showcasing his silky footwork and immense physical gifts. Simmons nabbed his first triple-double of the year.
In addition to the stars, Philadelphia’s supporting cast put together a strong all-around performance. Redick and Dario Saric finally got some shots to fall, while Landry Shamet hit 4-7 from deep. Robert Covington was stellar on defense and tallied 20 points.
All of that culminated with Markelle Fultz’s first career three-point attempt (and make) in the fourth quarter. With the crowd noise behind him, the former No. 1 pick confidently stepped into a pull-up jumper over Zach LaVine‘s outstretched arm.
He was far from perfect last night, but that was a massive hurdle to clear. We know Fultz can shoot, and hopefully that make gives him the confidence to continue expanding his range in future games.
Here are some takeaways from the W.