GRADES: Sixers power past Bulls for 5th straight win

The Sixers take advantage of a short-handed Chicago Bulls team as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic sit.

Philadelphia has looked less convincing for much of the second half of the season. They have faced a string of lesser opponents, many of whom were missing starters. None of it matters.

The difference between the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and the number two seed is so large that Philadelphia fans won’t care one bit how their team gets there.

As for the game tonight, all five starters scored in double figures and they led wire-to-wire. A Danny Green three-pointer only 3:15 into the game gave Philadelphia a 12-7 lead as every starter had already scored.

The difference came on the defensive end as Philadelphia held Chicago to one field goal over a 5:45 stretch in the quarter as then entered the second leading 34-20.

Philadelphia put on a show in the second quarter with some strong dunks from Tobias Harris, excellent defense from Matisse Thybulle, and some smooth dimes by Ben Simmons. Entering halftime, Philadelphia led 60-43.

The third quarter played similarly to the second. A somewhat back-and-forth affair transpired as Philadelphia entered the fourth leading 83-63 with intentions of getting their starters some rest.

That wouldn’t last…

Led by Coby White and capped by Denzel Valentine, Chicago went on a 24-5 run to bring them within a single point 88-87. From there, the starters reentered the fold and went back to handling the lesser Chicago team.

Philadelphia’s starters quickly pushed the one point game to nine before finally winning the game by 12, 106-94.

Grades from the Sixers’ fifth straight victory, this time overpowering a Bulls team without its two All-Stars.

35 mins | 21 pts | 9 reb | 3 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 3 TO | 10-13 FG | 0-0 3PT| 1-1 FT | 1 PF | +17 |

A nice bounce back game for Tobias Harris. He shot 10-13 and looked much more fluid out there on the floor. Harris didn’t look perfect when running with the bench, but he looked every bit the part with the starters.

29 mins | 14 pts | 4 reb | 3 ast | 4 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 5-10 FG | 4-9 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | +26 |

Green has quietly been playing better of late. His shot has stated falling with some more consistency and his defense has transitioned from always being in the right place, to stealing the ball and getting in transition. Deflections have become an analytical focal point, but as Tim Duncan proved back in the day, keeping deflections in bounds is next-level.

33 mins | 13 pts | 10 reb | 3 ast | 0 stl | 3 blk | 4 TO | 4-13 FG | 0-3 3PT| 5-6 FT | 3 PF | +29 |

Embiid was far from perfect. His MVP candidacy is losing steam. It doesn’t matter. A double-double and helping lead the team when it mattered most, this game wasn’t a classic, but fans still could see just how immense his value is.

33 mins | 15 pts | 6 reb | 5 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 6-7 FG | 0-0 3PT| 3-5 FT | 2 PF | +29 |

Simmons was coming off both his first ever buzzer beater and one of the worst games he has played as a pro. Tonight, just classic Simmons. 15, 6, and 5 on decent shooting with excellent defense. Stop me if you’ve heard it before. Simmons remains at his best pushing tempo, but the increased spacing has certainly helped in the fourth.

35 mins | 20 pts | 4 reb | 4 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 7-10 FG | 3-5 3PT| 3-3 FT | 1 PF | +27 |

Seth Curry just continues to knock down shots. His spacing is instrumental to the success of his teammates. Simmons doesn’t fit with Embiid like a glove, but Curry helps turn that glove to a mitten. His game has helped Embiid make the leap as much as anything and Harris is clearly better for it as well.

The Chicago Bulls have fallen four games back of the 10-seed as the Washington Wizards are surging. Their season looks as though it will only be their final seven games. As for their next game, they will travel to North Carolina to take on the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

On the other end of the spectrum, Philadelphia’s next game will be against the league-worst Houston Rockets on Wednesday as they might have the opportunity to stretch their lead in the conference to two games with six remaining depending on the Brooklyn Nets versus Milwaukee Bucks result on Tuesday.