On Monday night, the Play-In PatBev Bulls did the borderline-unthinkable, winning a low-scoring double-overtime rock fight, 109-105, against a Philadelphia 76ers club featuring a healthy Joel Embiid, the likely 2023 MVP, for the first time in 13 meetings.
Chicago was abetted by the fact that James Harden looked severely hungover in stumbling to a meager five points (plus 12 assists and seven rebounds) on 2-of-14 shooting in 46:37. Embiid was hardly stifled, scoring 37 points on 11-of-22 shooting and pulled down 16 rebounds. The seven-footer did foul out in the game’s second overtime, which certainly helped pave the way for probably the game-winning play, a critical Derrick Jones Jr.