3 observations after Maxey’s 1st triple-double, Embiid’s giant quarter lead Sixers over Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers are now 1-0 when their three stars play a full game together.
The team’s two returning All-Stars both had big performances on Sunday in Chicago, leading the way in a 108-100 victory.
In his 282nd career NBA game, Tyrese Maxey notched his first triple-double with 25 points, a career-high 14 assists and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Joel Embiid came back after being sidelined for seven consecutive games with left knee trouble and posted 31 points and 12 rebounds.
Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 12 points apiece.
With a fourth win in their last five games, the Sixers improved to 7-15. Chicago fell to 10-15.
The Sixers will have a decent chunk of time to rest and practice before their next game, which is Friday night in Philadelphia vs. the Pacers. Here are observations on their win over the Bulls:
Tale of two quarters
Embiid missed three-point jumpers on the Sixers’ first two possessions. For the season, he’s now at 3 for 23 (13.0 percent) beyond the arc.
It was quite obvious that Embiid hadn’t played in over two weeks. He committed an early turnover when he seemingly expected George to cut and the 34-year-old wing wasn’t on the same page. Embiid kept leaving jumpers short and began 0 for 7 from the field. His movement generally did not appear smooth or confident, though he concluded his first stint by running back on defense and rejecting a Coby White layup.
Chicago capitalized on Embiid’s poor start, taking a 33-23 lead on a buzzer-beating White three.
Embiid shifted to a much, much higher gear in the second quarter and looked like the player who averaged 34.7 points last season. He got on the board by sinking a turnaround jumper over Nikola Vucevic with 9:52 left in the second quarter. A mid-range bucket with 3:12 to go in the second put Embiid at 19 points.
Maxey assisted him six times during that dominant run, feeding Embid for a pick-and-roll layup and throwing pocket passes galore. Embiid was also sharp in the post and even did a bit of damage in…
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