DeMar DeRozan (#11) of the Chicago Bulls shoots in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 20, 2023. /CFP
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 109-105 in double overtime (OT) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday, ending the opponents' eight-game winning streak.
It is also the first win the Bulls have secured against the 76ers when Joel Embiid played on the court after losing every of the previous 12 competitions. The loss also kept the 76ers from clinching an early playoff berth.
DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic combined to drop 72 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 steals for the Bulls. LaVine earned team-high free throws and made eight of them. Meanwhile, DeRozan drained clutch jumpers at the end of the fourth quarter and the first OT, and Vucevic went 6-for-6 in the paint.
Zach LaVine (#8) of the Chicago Bulls drives toward the rim in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 20, 2023. /CFP
Both sides shot under 30 percent from downtown in Monday's game and failed to reach even 110 points after two OTs, which spoke well of how poor their offense was. The Bulls executed 12 steals while forcing as many as 19 turnovers by the 76ers. They couldn't stop Embiid from scoring a double-double of 37 points and 16 rebounds, but limiting his field goal (FG) rate to 50 percent (11-for-22) was already good enough since he had been shooting 62.7 percent from the field in March.
Embiid's size, power, athleticism and shooting range made him nearly unguardable when he had the ball below the free throw line and faced one defender. In fact, he went through Vucevic's defense multiple times, driving from the 3-point line. The best solution the Bulls came up with was to slow him down away from the rim while having extra help double-team him.
Nikola Vucevic (#9) of the Chicago Bulls shoots in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 20, 2023. /CFP
Embiid committed five turnovers while delivering only one assist, thanks to the defensive arrangements of the Bulls. Only Tyrese Maxey and De'Anthony Melton gave him consistent offensive support, but they focused more on scoring than feeding Embiid in his sweet spots. Having overloaded himself in launching attacks and defense, Embiid was low in strength from the fourth quarter until he was fouled out in the second OT.
James Harden, who sat out the 76ers' last game on March 18, was the worst-performing 76er in Monday's competition. He made only two of his 14 FG attempts and missed all of his six triples to get only five points, seven rebounds, 12 assists and five turnovers. Harden had many chances to face the Bulls' defensive weaknesses, including LaVine and Coby White, but he failed to capitalize on these chances.
Joel Embiid (#21) of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots in the game against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 20, 2023. /CFP
Monday's loss exposed how over-reliant the 76ers have been on Embiid on offense. He is dominant in front of most defenders even without a consistent facilitator, but if he has to carry his size all over the court and shoulders a great part of defensive duty, he will understandably tire himself out before the competition is over, like he did on Monday night.
Other games on Monday (away teams come first):
Taurean Prince (#12) of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots in the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City, March 20, 2023. /CFP
Minnesota Timberwolves 140-134 New York Knicks
The Timberwolves saw seven of their players score in double digits and shot 61.4 percent from the field as a team at the Madison Square Garden in New York City on Monday. Taurean Prince went 12-for-13 in FGs and drained eight triples to score a team-high 35 points. Mike Conley contributed a double-double of 24 points and 11 assists.
Julius Randle dropped a career-high 57 points for the Knicks after making eight 3-pointers as well in Monday's game. He even set a new franchise record by getting 26 points in the third quarter. Nonetheless, his turnover at 1:27 in the final period enabled Jaden McDaniels to extend the Timberwolves lead from four to six points (137-131). One minute later, Randle watched Kyle Anderson grab an offensive rebound over his head, which led to a scored second-chance attack that sealed the deal for the Timberwolves.
Stephen Curry (#30) of the Golden State Warriors drives toward the rim in the game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, March 20, 2023. /CFP
Golden State Warriors 121-108 Houston Rockets
The Warriors ended their 11-game losing streak on the road by beating the Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Monday. They drained 17 triples, 10 of which came from the "Splash Brothers," Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Kevon Looney grabbed eight of his 10 rebounds on the offensive glass.
It took the Rockets' 21-year-old Jalen Green 19 shots to get 20 points after he missed 12 of them. His back-court partner Kevin Porter Jr. didn't do much better as he only made five of his 14 attempts. The team delivered only 14 assists but committed 17 turnovers.
Kelly Olynyk (#41) of the Utah Jazz shoots in the game against the Sacramento Kings at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 20, 2023. /CFP
Sacramento Kings 120-128 Utah Jazz
The Kings trailed by as many as 25 points (44-19) at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday. They launched an epic rally in the second and third quarters, assisted by De'Aaron Fox's remarkable performance. Fox got 30 points in the two periods. However, the team struggled offensively in the final quarter, watching the Jazz pull away the lead again to win.
The Jazz had seven players reach double-figure points at home on Monday night. Kris Dunn had a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists off the bench, while Kelly Olynyk was two assists away from scoring a triple-double. This victory enabled the team to replace the Los Angeles Lakers in the 10th in the Western Conference.
Indiana Pacers 109-115 Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks 108-112 Memphis Grizzlies