November 08, 2026
Patrick Gorski/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LeBron James found his rhythm as a driver on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.
CHICAGO – It did not take a detective to investigate that Joel Embiid and LeBron James, after their nightmarish performances on Friday night in Cleveland – 0-for-9 from the field for Embiid; 3-for-12 from the field with six turnovers for James – would bounce back in short order. And Sunday afternoon provided the perfect get-right spot.
The Sixers could have made it easier for themselves to beat the Chicago Bulls, the owners of the NBA's worst defense by far. But a win is a win, including a 127-121 triumph in a shootout at the United Center. After a porous start to the game, the Sixers got going thanks in large part to James' resurgence as a scorer, which set the table for Embiid to lead his team's tremendous effort on the glass.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse will surely have plenty of lackluster defensive film to show his team, but after a nightmarish offensive performance in Cleveland, the Sixers will happily take the strong, balanced attack they mustered on Sunday. Even against the league's worst defense, the Sixers impressively enabled all five starters to play their best basketball in pockets of the game.
The game was far too close for comfort down the stretch given the competition the Sixers were facing, but a few timely baskets late and witty steals from Embiid and James helped them put the game away once and for all.
Takeaways from the Sixers' ninth win of the season:
Chicago Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter fielded questions pregame on Sunday. One of them: how has game-planning against LeBron James changed as his career has evolved?
"I mean, not much," Splitter said. "He's still an elite player."
The second part may be true on a lot of nights, but the way teams approach the NBA's all-time leading scorer is definitely changing. After the Cleveland Cavaliers successfully hid James Harden on James, Chicago gave the assignment to Josh Giddy, a 6-foot-8 guard without much defensive acumen or physicality.
The gamble is simple: within this star-studded starting lineup, James has rarely hunted his own shots. So why commit a strong defender to him when that player can take, for example, the Jaylen Brown assignment? James, whose shooting has been hit-or-miss this season, is not lethal enough as a jump-shooter to incite true fear if left open.
Early on Sunday, James looked hesitant to assert himself. He is the designated quarterback of this operation, and at this stage of his career his strongest asset is his playmaking ability. But during the second quarter in particular, James was able to find his way into the game, playing with real aggression as a downhill driver.
LEBRON IS GETTING HOT pic.twitter.com/JEkMfzvpm2
— ✥ (@FunKneeBone) November 8, 2026
Ironically, Splitter spoke at length before the game about the value proposition of specifically attacking a size mismatch within half-court offense. He argued that, too often, it can slow an offense down and get it out of sync. It did no such thing for the Sixers on Sunday, but their ability to force and capitalize on mismatches are elite.
Jabari Walker backed up Embiid with Adem Bona (neck) still sidelined, and his first-half stint completely changed the tenor of the game. He ate up more than nine minutes of action – very helpful as the Sixers try to manage Embiid's workload – and grabbed four offensive rebounds in the process. Every single one of those second-chance opportunities netted a basket; the Sixers had Walker to thank for nine points in as many minutes in addition to the four he scored.
Walker set a strong tone for the Sixers, whose first eight minutes or so in this game made up their worst stretch of the season. Their defense was abominable; nobody was remotely focused or attentive to their assignment. But once they took a few punches in the mouth, they righted the ship – thanks in large part to their rebounding.
Entering Sunday's action, the Sixers and Bulls had contrasting profiles as rebounding teams. The Sixers were 25th in the NBA in rebounding percentage (27th on offense and a pleasantly surprising 10th on defense) while the Bulls were 27th in total rebounding (13th on offense and 27th on defense). But this was not an even match.
Even with Nic Claxton making his debut for Chicago, the Bulls had few answers for the Sixers. Joel Embiid led the way on the offensive glass, and quite a few of his made baskets came after he rebounded his own misses. As Embiid's offense remains a work in progress, finding easy baskets was extremely valuable. Before the game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged the value of seeing the ball go through the net for a player trying to gain a groove.
"I do think that kind of leads to some chances to maybe call a set for him or something like that," Nurse said. "Yeah, I think it doesn't hurt to try to get an easy basket here and there too to get you going."
On a team that does face some size and athletic disadvantages, the Sixers need Brown and VJ Edgecombe – two supreme athletes comfortable playing with physicality – to make their presences felt on the glass. Edgecombe has had some fierce performances there this season and also some less encouraging ones; Nurse commented pregame that he would rather the 21-year-old grab six or seven rebounds every night than have 11 in one game and two in the next.
Brown and Edgecombe both contributed to the Sixers' terrific rebounding effort, whether by grabbing a board themselves or simply blocking out and clearing the way for someone else to fly in and grab it. The Sixers played with incredible tenacity on the glass for the final three-plus quarters of this game, and it generated far too many scoring opportunities for them to squander.
Up next: The Sixers will now return home, and on Tuesday the Boston Celtics are coming to town. Buckle up.
