The Philadelphia 76ers rebounded from an ugly season-opening loss in Boston, and rolled over the Chicago Bulls. After an early offensive flurry from Chicago, the Sixers dominated the remainder of the game and cruised to a 19 point win.
RING THAT BELL.
The Philadelphia 76ers had a golden opportunity to right the ship after a disappointing blunder against the Celtics. They seized it, and had their foot on the gas pedal from the tip. The had a young, injury riddled team coming to South Philly, and they outplayed them in seemingly every way.
The offense was flowing. The defense was energized, and the Sixers had 16 more rebounds than the Bulls. The white t-shirt clad crowd was raucous and rowdy for 48 minutes, and the Sixers gave them more than enough to cheer about.
The Sixers two best players led the way. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid could not be stopped. From start to finish, they made their presence felt. There was nobody on Chicago that could possibly slow either of them down. Simmons had a triple-double by the third quarter, and Embiid feasted on a young rookie.
Robert Covington was his typical self. Cov showed incredible activity on the defensive end while knocking down threes and filling his lane in transition. The trio of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Robert Covington can turn defense into offense like few players in the league can.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls in scoring with 30 points. LaVine was 11-19 from the floor and had an excellent first quarter. Bobby Portis (who always seems to play well against the Sixers) had 20 points, to go along with 11 rebounds. Chicago native Jabari Parker chipped in 15 points.
Simmons and Embiid did not get proper support from their teammates in the opening night, but there were contributions aplenty tonight. Excluding the dynamic pair, six Sixers registered double-digits in points.
This game was precisely what the Sixers needed. They beat the brakes off a vulnerable team at home in front of 20,000 boisterous fans. It was a tight game for a half, then a 17-0 third quarter run extinguished the Bulls.
Their execution was vastly improved, and their energy was unwavering. Dario Saric bounced back from a poor game, and J.J. Redick’s activity was facilitating the offense. The stars performed as stars do. The role players stepped up, and the bench cleared at the end.
The blowout over Chicago rinsed out the sour taste in the mouth of Philadelphia basketball. The Sixers reminded everyone just how talented they are, and that they mean business. The Sixers have a perfect opportunity to gain momentum by playing their preseason foe, the Orlando Magic, this coming Saturday.