The Bulls beat the Sixers, 117-115, on Dec. 18 in Chicago, behind a 22-point performance from Nikola Mirotic. That night, the Sixers were without Joel Embiid.
At home against the Bulls tonight, the Sixers will have Embiid, and that makes all the difference according to Dario Saric, who had a season-high 27 points in the previous meeting with Chicago.
“When you have Joel, everybody knows what he can do offensively, but defensively is the bigger point,” Saric said Wednesday morning. “He is a very important guy for us, he’s maybe the best defensive player in the league, and when he’s on the court, it’s easier for us.