Chicago Bulls lean on defense to outlast Philadelphia 76ers in double OT
On Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center, the Chicago Bulls pulled off a stunning 109-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a crucial win—their third in a row—that helped solidify Chicago’s hold of a spot in the Play-in tournament.
Now at 34-37, the Bulls are two full games ahead of the 11th-place Washington Wizards and half a game behind the ninth-place Toronto Raptors with just 11 games remaining in the regular season.
Incredible defense
Chicago’s defense this season has been elite, and on Monday, the 76ers got a taste of the Bulls’ relentless effort on that end of the floor. Philadelphia shot just 42% from the field and were held scoreless for the last 1:38 of the second overtime. It was only fitting that the Bulls secured the victory with an outstanding defensive sequence.
With Chicago ahead by just two, the Sixers’ James Harden drove straight to the rim for what appeared to be the game-tying layup. However, Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. came out of nowhere to swat the shot away and, later on, grab the rebound and find Coby White for the game-sealing free-throws.
Locking up Harden
Pat Beverley also had a key role in the Bulls’ win, as he helped lock up Harden to a mere five points—a far cry from his average of 21.6 points per game. The one-time MVP missed 12 of his 14 attempts from the floor, including all six of his three-pointers. Harden also committed five turnovers.
Beverley has carved out a nice NBA career out of his defensive intensity and fearlessness. The Arkansas product simply isn’t afraid to lay it all on the line—whether it’s against the likes of Harden or even the Sixers’ 7-foot behemoth, Joel Embiid, against who he drew an offensive foul call in the second quarter.
