Bulls

Thanks in part to a huge block of James Harden by Derrick Jones Jr., the Bulls outlasted the 76ers in double OT and handed Joel Embiid his first loss in 13.

The Bulls picked up a full game on the Indiana Pacers, who lost to the Charlotte Hornets, and a half-game over the idle Washington Wizards. the Bulls only play the Hawks in a head-to-head matchup over their final 11 games. The Bulls are a half-game behind the ninth-place Toronto Raptors. DeRozan's turnover with 13.1 seconds left in regulation and his 3-point miss with 1.4 seconds left in the first overtime will revive the debate over whether he or LaVine should take the last shot. The Bulls are now 2-1 this season against the 76ers, but Embiid missed the Bulls' victory on Jan. In fact, with their two-game lead over the 11th-place Wizards, the Bulls now sit closer to the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who they trail by one game. The Bulls initially did a good job trying to attack Embiid after his fifth foul, trying to draw his sixth. But White played well, icing the victory with two free throws to finish with 11 points and give the Bulls a 25-23 edge in bench scoring. The Bulls are now 8-4 since Beverley arrived. Not only did the 76ers shoot 42.2 percent, but the Bulls scored a whopping 24 points off 21 turnovers. Green didn't take a shot and only posted one rebound and one steal in his mere nine minutes, but his return adds a depth piece for the stretch run. Embiid had never lost to the Bulls until Monday.

Lonzo Ball underwent his third left knee surgery in 14 months on Monday, according to coach Billy Donovan's pregame address to reporters in Philadelphia, ...

that he felt that this was the best chance to be able to get him back on the court." "But I am hopeful that with his work ethic, his commitment and drive and just how eager he is to play, that’s he’s going to exhaust every opportunity to do that.’’ Previously, Ball underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in January 2022 and a debridement in September 2022 aimed at cleaning out "loose bodies" and fragments that had been causing Ball discomfort. Donovan termed Ball's absence "indefinite" in his comments to reporters. Donovan said the Bulls' medical staff relayed to him that the surgery went well. "We all understand that’s going to be an uphill battle for him," Donovan said.

The Bulls were 0-12 in their previous attempts against Philadelphia with Embiid in the lineup.

[Tyrese Maxey](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/tyrese-maxey-ZaAqNko77dWsPkHu/), LaVine was stripped from behind by Maxey at the end as he dribbled cavalierly. [Paul Reed](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/paul-reed-dwN9nKEOhpd6ywcf/) in place of Embiid, LaVine didn’t hesitate to attack the foul-prone backup out of DePaul. It began with Beverley boldly drawing a charge in transition late in the second quarter. The Sixers didn’t score again. He got the big man off his feet and drew contact on his shot. The Sixers were in transition, with Embiid leading the break. Maybe his presence for the final 3:54 would have extended the Sixers’ dominant streak over the Bulls. Maybe the big fella doesn’t foul out? For all that transpired in the Bulls’ second double-overtime contest in three games, three plays were pivotal in producing a win. It was only Embiid’s second foul but counted all the same toward his allotment. The sequence that encapsulated Beverley’s effort came in the closing seconds of the second quarter. But the building blocks for one of the Bulls’ best wins this season were laid long before those closing seconds.

The Sixers' winning streak ended Monday night at eight games as they fell in double overtime to the Bulls, dropping a 109-105 decision at Wells Fargo Center ...

The Sixers' after-timeout play worked to perfection; Maxey curled up to the top of the key and sunk a gigantic three. Embiid and DeRozan traded baskets before another low moment for Harden, who dribbled into trouble on the right side of the floor and lost the ball to DeRozan. Milton did well early in the fourth, driving in for a lefty layup and connecting with Reed on alley-oop. While the Sixers have pulled off their share of improbable wins this season, a 2-for-14 night from Harden was a tad too much to work around Monday. Maxey missed a three from the left wing on the team's final possession. It appeared the Sixers would need to lean on both Embiid and their defense with the team trailing by a point entering the fourth quarter. His transition three gave the Sixers a 85-84 edge. He drew a blocking call on Patrick Beverley and split the ensuing free throws. Harden shot just 1 for 7 from the floor in the first half and Tyrese Maxey was 2 for 6. The Sixers turned the ball over 10 times in the first 18 minutes. House canned a transition corner three, Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton knocked down triples soon after, and the Sixers held a 22-17 lead after the first quarter. Harden committed a turnover on the Sixers’ first possession and Embiid had a giveaway on the second when he dribbled loosely into traffic.

Ball's injury setback, which could see him miss all of the 2023-24 season, puts Chicago at a crossroads with far-reaching implications.

He held onto an undesirable fourth pick in the 2020 draft and rather than trading back, reached to select a project in Patrick Williams. … I came here because of what I thought the partnership, the connection, how we saw things as it relates to the game, building a team and those kinds of things.” In a response that was as thoughtful as it was thorough, Donovan detailed how he put his long-term trust in the people he partnered with in Chicago rather than any short-term plan. Now, it’s not just his job performance that is up for question but also his aptitude for the position. But an opportunity has opened for Dosunmu, in only his third season, to become the lead guard of his hometown team. In that world, Chicago would part with LaVine, Vučević and DeRozan to pivot to a youth movement. For anyone calling for the Bulls to “blow it up,” Dosunmu likely would step in as the full-time starter. Vučević can stay in Chicago for a little more money perhaps and continue clawing for the Play-In Tournament. But the five-time All-Star turns 34 in August, and as this season is proving, he still has plenty left to offer a championship contender. I couldn’t care less about anything to do with the team; just his mental well-being and hoping he’s got all the positive backing that he needs just to get through whatever it is he needs to get through.” That thinking is fantastical and fails to fully consider the potential desires of the player. A popular take is that the Bulls can — and might have to — pay him more than anyone else.

Billy Donovan knows that Ball is facing an “uphill battle” in becoming the first player to have this type of procedure and return to the NBA, but the coach ...

But I know that he’s going to do everything possible in his rehab to get himself back on the court.’’ “We don’t need to push one down to elevate another guy. You have to prepare like that. I know that they felt the surgery went well. Only a few pro basketball players have undergone such a procedure, and none has made it back to the NBA. I know he’s going to work really hard.