Sixers' Tony Bradley, Dwight Howard Brought Great Energy Without Joel Embiid
On game nights, the Philadelphia 76ers tend to lean on their four-time All-Star big man Joel Embiid on both ends of the floor. As the veteran center is arguably one of the best bigs in the league and possibly the best player in the NBA right now, it comes as no surprise the Sixers miss him when he's out.
Without Embiid on the floor, the Sixers held a record of 1-5 heading into Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bulls. Since Embiid has been exposed to COVID-19 and entered into the NBA's health and safety protocol, the Sixers had no choice but to roll without him for the seventh time this season on Thursday.
No Embiid on the floor is clearly a bad thing. No Embiid and Ben Simmons on the floor almost feels like it's going to be an automatic loss for Philly, but the rest of the team was ready to prove otherwise. Right out of the gate, the Sixers' starting lineup, which contained Matisse Thybulle and Tony Bradley, got Philly off to a hot start.
Then, the bench that has been struggling as of late made sure there was no dropoff in production or intensity when the starting unit came off the floor. Everybody available for the Sixers on Thursday had a hand in defeating the Bulls, but the two bigs Bradley and Dwight Howard, got credited for bringing ideal energy in the game.
"They were fantastic,” said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers after the game. "32 points, 17 rebounds, I think, five blocked shots, they just played with great energy. I thought both of them played within themselves. We fell into something offensively that we thought that we can be successful at. They kept doing it. They kept finding the ball, and guys kept finding them. So, really happy for both of them.”
Bradley, who has been seen struggling at times this season when he picked up minutes, had his best outing of the year on Thursday. In 21 minutes, he was perfect from the field, going 7-for-7, collecting 14 points.
"I wasn’t planning on doing that,” Bradley said in regards to making every shot. “I guess I just wanted to, from the jump, just bring energy and effort, so I feel good. I don’t know what else to say.”
As for Howard, energy is never a problem. The always-energetic veteran led by example on Thursday night and collected a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Although a Sixers loss to the Bulls probably would've been excused considering the circumstances, the team refused to roll over and call it quits. Bradley and Howard knew they would have to step up and fill in some big shoes with Embiid out, and their combined 32 points showed what they're capable of doing in the big man's absence.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
