The “big three” of the Sixers are fighting against the resti-Bulls

While they presented themselves almost complete with Joel EmbiidTyrese Maxey and Paul George, the Sixers lost to the Bulls 108-102. The mistake was 10-0 conceded at the end of the match.

Still, it all started off great for the Sixers with an almost typical top five. VJ Edgecombe intercepts Josh Giddy’s pass for a dunk on the counter-attack, then Dominic Barlow capitalizes on Matas Bouzelis’ turnover. Score: 13-2 for Philly. But Chicago recovered quickly, lost a few turnovers and punished the Sixers’ defensive aggressiveness with open shots (55% shooting, including 5/9 on 3-pointers). If Embiid bullies Zach Collins down low, he’s on his own. The rest of the Sixers are shooting 27%, and Philadelphia is trailing 30-28 after 12 minutes.

The Bulls insist, and Ayo Dosunmu is freed in attack, while Matas Bouzelis against everything that moves! Result: Chicago leads by 11 points (41-30). Jared McCain brings some life with a few layups, but Philly misses 11 straight 3-pointers. Fortunately, the return of Embiid reignites the offense. He’s stopping a long run, McKay is finally finding the lines of penetration, and the defense is tightening up. By leaving Embiid in the heart instead of strictly defending the pivot, the Sixers limited Chicago to 19 points in the quarter. At the break, thanks to the Embiid-Mackey duo, Philly took control (42-39).

Jalen Smith posters Joel Embiid

Embiid and McKay continue to fuel the brand. MVP 2023 is even far more successful, his best outdoor match of the season. Edgecombe finally breaks his half-court silence with some solid finishes near the circle. Paul George finally scores the winning shot, and it’s +10 for the Sixers (67-57). But the defensive problems continued and Kevin Huerter made a three-pointer, which was immediately imitated by Isaac Okoro. The Bulls go 8-0 as George connects on two game-winning shots to maintain a small cushion. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Sixers maintained a four-point lead (85-81).

George starts off strong with a kick in the corner, then…nothing. The Sixers went more than three minutes without a basket, scoring only on free throws… Philadelphia attacked the circle better after the time-out and often went to the line, but suffered the same on the other side. Facing Nikola Vucevic, Embiid is now suffering from “coverage decline.” Still aggressive on the post, he still scores, but his outside passes are never used. Even worse: He found himself on the wrong side of a giant Jalen Smith poster (102-101). This is the turning point of the match as the Bulls went on a 10-0 run in the final two minutes.

Jalen Smith, Joel Embiid’i posterledi! #NBA
pic.twitter.com/JGvlHKDGvj

— Offside (@ofsaitcomapp) December 27, 2025

After the time-out, Maksi was blocked by Nikola Vucevic near the circle. In the process, the Sixers conceded their 11th and 12th offensive rebounds of the game, offering up an easy layup to Tre Jones that sealed the game.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

0-4. This is the record of the Sixers this season when they set their “Big Three”. If Joel Embiid has nothing to complain about in this match, on the other hand Tyrese McKay completely missed the start of the match, and he didn’t mind the match. As for Paul George, he went missing in the 4th quarter…

5-0. The Bulls have won their 5th in a row and are back in balance with 15 wins and 15 losses. Back-to-back, the Bulls have an opportunity to turn positive tonight by hosting the Bucks.

https://vvv.youtube.com/vatch?v=FPv3NjdeBL0

How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.