Another slow start helps Embiid stay unbeaten against Bulls
The Bulls found a way to get most out of center Nikola Vucevic. One night after sitting down the stretch in San Antonio, Vucevic erupted for 23 points, 19 rebounds and 5 3-pointers against Philadelphia on Saturday.
But the Bulls still have no answers for how to beat Sixers center Joel Embiid.
Embiid hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds left and the 76ers went on to beat the Bulls 114-109 at the United Center. Not only is Embiid 12-0 against the Bulls in his career, they've also dropped 12 straight in the series with Philadelphia.
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points, while Zach LaVine added 20. Embiid finished with 25. Sixers guard James Harden went 2-for-13 from the field, but 11-for-11 from the foul line to score 15.
After Embiid broke the 109-109 tie, DeRozan attacked the basket and drew contact from Embiid, but his shot rolled off the rim and no foul was called.
Alex Caruso stole the Sixers' outlet pass and missed a potential tying 3-pointer, allowing Tobias Harris to clinch the win with 2 free throws.
Before Embiid's 3, the Bulls had a possession that's bound to get plenty of replays on social media. LaVine dribbled into a contested 12-foot pullup while Vucevic was standing alone in the corner.
"Yeah, I don't think he saw me," Vucevic said. "It was a solid shot by him, it just didn't go in. I didn't want to yell or anything because he was going into the shot, I didn't want to disturb him. It happened fast. I know he didn't miss it on purpose, he was trying to make a play."
Bulls coach Billy Donovan couldn't have played Andre Drummond in crunchtime Saturday, because the veteran big man was out with a shoulder strain. Ayo Dosunmu was also out with a neck injury, while LaVine played after sitting out the first leg of the back-to-back games.
The Bulls' defense was abysmal against the Spurs, especially when it came to guarding opposing centers in pick-and-roll. Jakob Poeltl and Zach Collins scored a combined 37 points while hitting 17 of 21 shots from the field.
"It's part of it, you're going to have good games, bad games, great games," Vucevic said. "It's part of it. I've been doing this for 12 years now. It's just all about bouncing back. I know how good I am, I know what I bring to the table. I'm a two-time all-star, so I didn't get to where I am by chance. I know the work I put in, the time I put in."
Ultimately, it was another slow start that hampered the Bulls. The first quarter featured the usual problem areas - poor defense and an early deficit in 3-point baskets. Philadelphia led 49-30 at the 7:30 mark of the second quarter and the only thing the Bulls had working was DeRozan getting to the foul line.
After the game, Donovan talked about evaluating whether the starting lineup needs to change. It's been changing anyway with the Bulls managing LaVine's recovery from knee surgery.
"I think I have to look at that, I don't think there's any question," Donovan said. "Obviously it's a small sample size, but we do have veterans in that lineup. All of us, myself as a coach, we've got to figure something out to get off to a better start.
"I can't sit here and say it's one player. It's that group, it's a group of five players. It's something we've probably got to take a look at and evaluate."
The Bulls didn't use third-string center Tony Bradley, so there were a few minutes when Vucevic was out of the game and Embiid was guarded by Javonte Green or Derrick Jones Jr.
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