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PHILADELPHIA — Over the course of three weeks, the Chicago Bulls seem to have found the resiliency they’ve been seeking for the past three seasons.
Monday’s 108-104 win over the 76ers in Philadelphia captured the tectonic shift that has lifted the Bulls into a 6-3 streak over the last nine games.
The Bulls scrabbled back from an early 16-4 deficit in the first quarter, regaining a one-point lead by the end of the frame on the back of Coby White’s decisive play at the rim. And when the 76ers regained the lead for the first time with 7:33 left in regulation, the Bulls stuck to what appears to be their new mantra — bend, but don’t break.
Absorbing the fourth-quarter force of a championship-contending team — and the star power of Joel Embiid — required a balanced approach.
Patrick Williams scored a pair of 3-pointers and swatted away a shot by Tyrese Maxey. DeMar DeRozan forced his way to the line twice in the final two minutes. Nikola Vučević sank another 3-pointer with 1:33 remaining.
The Bulls did not allow a single offensive rebound in the final four minutes. And after giving up a game-winning shot to Jimmy Butler only two days prior, the Bulls threw an effective defensive challenge at Embiid on the final two 76ers offensive possessions, forcing the star into a pair of misses.
This season will be an uphill battle for the Bulls, who still face an 11-17 record despite their recent wins. But after beating two top contenders in the Eastern Conference on the road this week, guard Alex Caruso said the team has regained confidence in its ability to compete in the playoffs.
“We have enough talent,” Caruso said. “Clearly, we just won at Philly, we won at Miami. Those are two of the best teams. We beat Milwaukee. I think we can play with anybody when we play at our best. It’s just about doing it.”
Here are four other takeaways from the win.
1. Coby White leads the offense by attacking the rim.
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The Bulls have found an offensive star in Coby White. The guard led scoring again on Monday with a 24-point performance.
White broke his streak of games with three or more 3-pointers, finishing 2-for-6 from behind the arc to leave the franchise record at 14 consecutive games. But he also made an important adjustment, adapting to the 76ers’ aggressive closeouts by forcing the ball downhill and creating opportunities at the rim.
White did not exit in the first quarter, scoring 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting to power the Bulls to take a one-point lead in the final minute of the frame. He dished out five of his nine assists in the fourth quarter as the Bulls absorbed Philadelphia’s attempt at a comeback.
And although he broke the 3-point shooting streak, Monday marked another small piece of history for White — his sixth consecutive game with 20 or more points, the longest streak of his career.
2. Nikola Vučević finds his comfort zone.
Since he signed with the Bulls, center Nikola Vučević has often struggled to find his place in the offense. But over this recent nine-game streak of success, he seems to have finally found a rhythm.
Vučević logged 23 points and eight rebounds in the win, including three offensive boards. He tallied four rebounds, but his role as a facilitator stretched beyond those recorded statistics. After three seasons of attempting to achieve it, Vučević has begun to establish himself in a “fulcrum” role at the core of the offense.
Chicago Tribune Sports
And Vučević showed up in the clutch, scoring eight of his points in the fourth quarter — including a 3-pointer that gave the Bulls a seven-point advantage with 90 seconds remaining.
3. Alex Caruso delivers a defensive stand in another return from injury.
After missing his fifth game with a left foot injury on Sunday, Alex Caruso returned to the lineup for the Bulls on Monday. Caruso came off the bench after re-aggravating the injury in Miami on Thursday, but he still logged 30 minutes in the win — including the closing five-minute stretch.
Caruso said he felt comfortable on his foot throughout the game — which was reflected in his play. He finished with 10 points, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
4. Joel Embiid versus the world.
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There’s no good way to guard Joel Embiid. The Bulls knew that entering the matchup — and even in the loss, they were forced to face the inevitability of Embiid’s scoring prowess.
Embiid scored 23 points and took seven free throws in the first half and finished with 40 points on the night. But the Bulls were able to limit him to only four points — and one made field goal — in the fourth quarter. The Bulls took a variety of approaches to limit Embiid’s options: fronting him with a smaller player, throwing bodies at him in a trap and attempting to cut off his passes on the block.
Their defense on Embiid in the final two minutes allowed the Bulls to escape with a close win.
“It’s tough, especially when he gets going like he did tonight,” Vučević said. “We try to do our best and some plays at the end I thought we did a much better job. He’s a hell of a player. All you can do is try to limit him. Although he made some very tough shots tonight, we did a pretty good job trying to limit him.”