Sixers Fall to Bulls, 104-95, in OT

By Doug Ammon, Sixers.com

Forty-eight minutes weren’t enough to decide tonight’s game between the Sixers and Bulls, but Chicago outscored the Philadelphia 12-3 in extra time to come away with a 104-95 win, their first in their four games.

Chicago came in bruised and battered. Three of their top scorers didn’t suit up, and defensive stalwart Joakim Noah was a late scratch from the lineup because of a sore knee, but still the proceedings were tight.

It was clear that the game was going to be a close battle from the jump, and the two teams entered their respective locker rooms for halftime tied at 51 apiece. But a sluggish start to the second half for the Sixers allowed the Bulls to jump out to a nine-point lead by the end of the third quarter. Like they’ve done all season, the Sixers fought back, going on a 15-0 run in the fourth, as they held the Bulls scoreless from 11:13 mark to 4:39 and regained the lead, 80-79, with 6:11 left in the contest.

Wednesday night was another testament to the heart the NBA’s youngest team plays with night in and night out. The squad has already beaten the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and was just one missed buzzer beater from Luc Mbah a Moute away from beating the third-place Bulls.

Philadelphia’s ability to limit turnovers has been an issue all season, but their 10 turnovers against the Bulls tied their second-lowest mark of the season; it was the lowest since the eight they lost against the Pelicans back on January 16.

Yet again, Nerlens Noel proved that he is becoming an undisputed force on the block. He finished the game with eight points, 15 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. In the process, he joined some prestigious company, becoming the first center to record 4+ steals in four consecutive games since Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in 1988.

Head coach Brett Brown showed serious faith in the rookie as he put him back into the game with five fouls and 4:22 left in the game. He played tough defense on Pau Gasol down the stretch despite his foul trouble.

“I put him back in there because I think he’s good, he gives us our best chance to win,” Brown said. “There is a tiny element to want to grow and feature him in those situations but he’s shown in the past few weeks just how dominate he can be at the rim.”

Newcomers Ish Smith and Isaiah Canaan both had big nights. Smith had a team-high 23 points and six assists, while Canaan added 20 points off the bench and finished 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Thomas Robinson continues to assault the boards, and he finished Wednesday’s contest with 15 rebounds to go along with seven points in just 18 minutes off the bench, marking just the second time in 30 seasons that a player pulled down than many boards in that few minutes. He’s averaging a remarkable 20.3 rebounds per 36 minutes since joining the team eight games ago.

For Chicago, it was Pau Gasol again asserting himself on both sides of the floor. The five-time All-Star recorded his sixth straight double-double, with 27 points and 16 rebounds. For the seven-footer, it was his 44th double-double of the season, a career-high.

Bulls point guard Aaron Brooks dropped a season-high 31 points and hit the game-tying three he hit with 33.2 seconds left in regulation.

Inside the Numbers: 18

Philly forced the Bulls into 18 turnovers when it was said and done, which was only the third time they have turned the ball over that many times in their last 10 games.

Up Next

The Sixers return to action for the first of a weekend back-to-back at The Center on Friday, when they host the Sacramento Kings for a 7pm (EST) game.