High marks for Joel Embiid’s return, and a new-look starting lineup in win over the Bulls

The third time was the charm for the 76ers against the Chicago Bulls, with a 110-97 blowout victory Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Naturally, that dominant performance yielded mostly high marks in our instant grades.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player said he was “dead” and “couldn’t play more than three or four minutes at a time” in his return from a four-game absence with a sprained right ankle. Coach Nick Nurse added that, while Embiid was moving “great,” his conditioning level was “less than that.”

Considering that evaluation occurred after Embiid totaled 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists — in three quarters — is another reason why the superstar big man is in rarified air.

Embiid was unsurprised he was winded, considering Monday was the first time he had done on-court work since the Dec. 22 injury. He totaled five first-quarter assists, a product of his don’t-force-anything mindset and a Bulls defense that double-teamed and filled potential driving lanes.

His scoring surge came in the second quarter, with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting possibly sparked by irritation at a no-call under the basket. After that, Embiid got free for a transition bucket (and stared down the official), then hit a jumper, then buried another shot over two defenders. Later, a three-pointer and off-the-dribble jumper put the Sixers up, 70-42.

And though Embiid went 1-of-6 from the floor in the third period, he manufactured seven points on 10 free-throw attempts and totaled another seven rebounds and four assists to record his second triple-double of the season and keep his streak of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds alive.

“It was tough, but I’m glad it was a three-quarter effort,” Embiid said. “So it’s all about building on it.”

» READ MORE: Q&A with Sixers assistant Bryan Gates on his long history with Nick Nurse and building a defense

In what was arguably their most torrid start of the season, the Sixers tied their best scoring total in the first quarter so far with 43 points — leading by as many as 29. They made 13 of their first 17 shots, including a 7-for-9 mark from long range complete with nine fastbreak points.

That all but put the game away in the first 12 minutes.

Embiid acknowledged “It’s easy when you make shots.” But Nurse was most pleased with the Sixers’ deliberately high pace while mixing in enough catch-and-attack and catch-and-shoot opportunities.

That up-the-floor mentality was at least partially due to …

Kelly Oubre Jr. said he and Nicolas Batum had “never” shared the floor in practice until Tuesday, at least partially because they have rarely been healthy at the same time this season. Yet Nurse said during his pregame news conference that he was curious to see how the new-look group — put together because starting guard De’Anthony Melton was out with back soreness — would look with more size at the shooting guard and small forward positions.

The early returns were strong, unlocking Oubre for an active 13-point first quarter. He hit a pull-up jumper on the Sixers’ first possession, then grabbed an offensive board for a dish to Tyrese Maxey for an open three-pointer. Oubre then collected a steal and was fouled on the breakaway, before hitting two three-pointers. Later, he converted a dunk through contact, hanging on the rim after the whistle.

» READ MORE: Here's how Tyrese Maxey showed the Sixers he can lead them when Joel Embiid is out

Batum, meanwhile, went 2-for-2 from the floor and added two rebounds and one assist in the opening frame. He also helped limit Bulls guard Coby White to 5-of-15 from the floor, after he torched the Sixers in a Dec. 18 win in Philly.

“You don’t really do that stuff, especially when your team’s playing well,” Nurse said of the lineup switch. “You’ve got to wait for the moment when it forces your hand to do it. And then you get your chance to evaluate it, and then you kind of keep it in your toolbox for possibilities, depending on how games are going or matchups.”

Matchups like a potential playoff showdown against the Boston Celtics, who boast lethal wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown? Nurse, Batum and Oubre wouldn’t really entertain that possibility. Yet Nurse said the biggest challenge of playing those two plus Tobias Harris at the same time is, “Are you going to be able to sit down and guard? The coach called Tuesday’s performance “decent.”

“[We made] a bunch of adjustments to try to try to keep the ball in front of us,” Nurse said. “This team [Chicago], every guy they got puts their head down and drives.”

Still, Oubre had been hoping he and Batum would eventually get a stretch on the court together.

“His IQ and the things that he brings to the game are second-to-none,” Oubre said. “He’s a veteran player and, a lot of times, I look at him and I calm down. … He makes the right play at all times.”

It’s probably unfair to judge what Nurse described as “quirky” reserve units that needed to play together because Melton, Robert Covington and Furkan Korkmaz were all unavailable.

Still, the Sixers went 3-for-17 from the floor and committed 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter, getting outscored, 25-12.

“It wasn’t that much fun tonight, watching that at the end,” Nurse said. “We didn’t really let them back in it, but that was one of the first times we didn’t play very well.”

The Sixers’ deep reserves had been a bright spot during a string of blowouts last month, yet those units included experienced players such as Korkmaz, Danuel House Jr. and Mo Bamba. Tuesday night, two-way player Ricky Council IV made his NBA debut. Kenneth Lofton Jr., who just signed a two-way deal with the Sixers, saw his first action with his new team.

In the second quarter, meanwhile, the Sixers began with Maxey, House, Jaden Springer, Marcus Morris Sr. and Paul Reed. That grouping was short-lived, with Batum re-entering less than two minutes into the period. A 25-point advantage had dwindled to 19 shortly after Embiid came back in at the 7:27 mark, before increasing back up to a game-high 31 just before the break.

Springer, however, earned praise from Nurse for his four rebounds, two steals and two points in 21 minutes. He was responsible for two highlight plays: a two-handed block, and a one-handed rebound and putback finish.

“Him and KJ [Martin] have both been doing a lot of good stuff in practice and work ethic and all that stuff,” Nurse said. “I’ve been trying to find a window to get them on the floor, so it was an easy decision tonight.”

Nurse also said before the game that he does not expect Melton’s or Covington’s injuries to linger, making such patchwork groups less likely in the future.