Former 76ers Veteran Dominates in Matchup vs. Bulls

The Chicago Bulls took advantage of a notable absence on the Philadelphia 76ers’ side Saturday night. Once again, the Sixers rolled without their superstar big man, Joel Embiid.

Last week, Embiid rolled his ankle during a Friday night win against the Toronto Raptors. Although he finished the matchup, helping his team secure a victory, Embiid’s diagnosis of a sprained ankle led to him missing a handful of games moving forward.

The following games against the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets featured a start for Embiid’s primary backup, Paul Reed. The situation was no different when the Sixers faced the Bulls on Saturday.

On Chicago’s side, Andre Drummond, a former member of Philadelphia’s frontcourt, put together a solid revenge game, showing as he scored the second-most points in a single game for himself this season and dominated on the glass.

A few games ago, Drummond picked up a 38-minute shift against the Atlanta Hawks. In that matchup, he shot a highly efficient 11-13 from the field to collect a season-high 24 points in the Bulls’ five-point win over the Hawks.

Two games later, he had a similar outing against the Embiid-less Sixers. Although he attempted just eight shots from the field, Drummond was efficient once again, successfully knocking down all but two of his attempts. While he struggled from the free throw line, converting on just 30 percent of his shots from the charity stripe, Drummond still had an above-average performance in the scoring department with 15 points.

The rebounding department is where Drummond feasted, though. Of Chicago’s 53 rebounds, Drummond was responsible for 23 of them. While the Sixers’ struggles from the field as a whole surely played a major part in their inability to overcome the Bulls on Saturday, getting out-rebounded by 17 boards was a critical factor as well.

Wrapping up their four-game road trip without Embiid, the Sixers finished the stretch at 2-2, losing to Drummond and the Bulls 105-92. They’ll return to Philadelphia with a couple of days off before hosting the Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center to begin the new year.

The Sixers hope that by then, they’ll have Embiid back in the mix to counter Drummond. While Philadelphia has lost both of their games to the Bulls this season, Embiid was far from the issue in their first outing, as he scored 40 points for Philadelphia. Drummond and the front court could have their hands full once again next time around.