Tirese McKay dazzles in second straight win

The Philadelphia 76ers (17-27) played the Chicago Bulls (19-27) in the second game of their latest back. Shazer won his second straight game with a final score of 109-97.

With Joel Embiid still out and the starters fresh and playing nearly 40 minutes in the Great win over the Cleveland CavaliersThe 76ers were already behind by eight balls. Add in the fact that the Bulls were off and hats had to fly all night after the game — a ridiculous scheduling decision the NBA needs to shut down — and it was clear this game was going to be an uphill battle.

At various points on the night, the six-point defense was too easy. They let the bulls push the ball in the court and enter the paint with too little resistance. Although they forced four turnovers in the first nine minutes, they weren’t locked in at all times. The Bulls punished them for that, making 11 of their first 13 field goals from within 10 yards (the rest were 3-pointers).

The Bulls, a team whose strength is their high-tempo, shooting offense, pulled to within six in the opener. After the cold open, they started to warm up and show what they do best. But the sixes, still living off forcing turnovers and whatever they could get from their stars, were there with them. Their ability to take care of the ball goes as far as their activity in passing the lane and taking quick swallows.

The third quarter turned into a ping-pong run, seeing six men treated to fall, regenerate and fall again until the bulls started to make progress. The fourth quarter was more of a stalemate as Mackey and some aggressive defense pushed them forward for good. Chicago committed 11 turnovers in the final frame; Philly had 10 for the entire game.

Makes on the go

They are in place of their first triple triple, double, Tyrese McKay He’s off to another great start, dropping 15 points to go 6-8 in the first quarter. He needed Shazer even more as another star bit the dust.

Paul George pulled from the shift after just 40 seconds midway through the second quarter and he did not return due to a finger injury. He had another decent night (nine points on 3-6 shooting in 13 minutes) before jamming his pinky finger on a fumble recovery.

Teams certainly know he’s the biggest threat when his team has the ball, but it still seems like it takes time for their game to accelerate into sugar rush. A pattern emerged of Mackey having his most important success early and the team, not just him, building on it.

McKay, who finished the night with 31 points and nine assists, was the sole source of the plays that kept the Hats going. No other teammates, save for Kelly Oubre Jr. And George in his short playing time, were still consistent scorers. But thanks to a team effort on defense, that’s all Philly needs.

Oubre recorded his second straight double-double, serving as the 76ers’ second-leading scorer and leading rebounder. With Mackey rested to start the fourth quarter, the K-9s kept going with both a drive and a Guerschon Yabusele cutting tackle. He’s still responsible for a few headaches every game, but he can be the difference, contributing 22 points and 12 boards tonight.

Rookies and vets

As the two top-six seniors entered the game for the first time, their healthy freshmen continued to impress.

Kyle Lowry is back in action after missing the last 10 games with a hip injury. Nick Nurse once again paired Lowry with Reggie Jacksonwho has thrown in some DNPs despite being healthy and sixes recently cut. Sister made it more interesting by playing Makei next to them, starting a three-way line in the defensive zone.

Jackson scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting, one of his better performances of the season. One of his buckets came from a corner three that Adem Bono helped perfectly. He took the ball into the corner off a short roll, continuing to show a passing feel that has improved for a player of his age/NBA experience.

Justin Edwards cleaned up a miss from Bona with the mats to start the second half in place of George. While he shot hard in this game, simply having someone his size who can serve different roles on offense is valuable. His biggest contribution to the six-game win was his three steals.

The message of the three-way guard was responsible for one of the hat’s biggest things offensively, underlining so clearly why it is not a line that should be converted into any competitive point of the game. Fortunately for them, the Bulls left a lot of meat on their bones through poor free-throw shooting – mostly from Zach Lavine – and surrendering points off their many turnovers.

On Tuesday, the 76ers will begin a home-and-home stretch of games against teams with winning records. First up is the Los Angeles Lakers.