Sixers paying more attention to detail in recent routs; Marcus Morris sidelined vs. Chicago Bulls

The 76ers have been more locked-in over the last week, carrying out the game plan from shootarounds to games.

“It’s all about paying attention to detail and game-plan discipline,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said following Monday’s shootaround. “I think we are doing a really good job of being professionals and carrying that out.”

That has enabled reigning MVP Joel Embiid to sit out the fourth quarters of four straight games heading into Monday’s contest against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won those games by an average of 37 points, extending their winning streak to six games. But those four wins did come against the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons (twice), and Charlotte Hornets. The Pistons had the league’s worst record as of Sunday at 2-24. The Wizards were 4-21 and the Hornets were at 7-17.

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It was the same Wizards team against whom the Sixers needed a 50-point, 13-rebound effort from Embiid to come away with a 131-126 win, on Dec. 6. But shortly afterward, the Sixers, especially the second unit, elevated their level of play.

“We’re just playing with energy, continuously being professional,” Oubre said. “It’s not easy doing that. So coming in when guys are warm, you have to come in there and keep the same pace, execute the same way as the starters.

“I think we are doing a really good job of that. Pat [Beverley] is leading the charge coming off the bench first. He’s coming in, setting the tone for us. We go in there and follow suit.”

Marcus Morris was ruled out of Monday’s game against the Bulls with an illness, while Embiid played after being listed as questionable with left hamstring tightness.

Embiid experienced the tightness following Monday’s shootaround, but was cleared to play after his pregame workout.

Morris was acquired on Nov. 1 from the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden trade. The forward is averaging 5.8 points and 13.1 minutes while shooting 54.3% on three-pointers in 18 games with three starts.

Torrey Craig (sore right heel), Zach LaVine (inflamed right foot), and Lonzo Ball (left heel surgery) were all sidelined for Chicago, who headed into the game with a 10-17 record.

Beverley and Oubre have both excelled in Philly after signing one-year veteran minimum contracts over the summer.

Beverley, the backup point guard, has averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 assists, and 17.1 minutes in 25 games. He had a season-high 26 points against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 1 in his lone start.

Oubre has averaged 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 25.2 minutes in 14 games with five starts. The Sixers were 13-1 with a 13-game winning streak in games the small forward has played.

“It’s a place for dogs, honestly,” Oubre said about why he and Beverley have been able to excel in Philly. “Me and Pat are a lot the same. We operate on love, but we also operate on just going to get it. I think that the city really appreciates that. And we appreciate them because we’re all one of a kind.”

Former Sixers center Eric Montross died Sunday after beginning treatment for cancer in March. He was 52.

Montross was selected by the Boston Celtics out of North Carolina with the ninth pick of the 1994 draft.

The Celtics traded him to the Dallas Mavericks on June 21, 1996. After brief stints with Dallas and the New Jersey Nets, he was traded to the Sixers along with Jim Jackson, Anthony Parker, and Tim Thomas in exchange for Michael Cage, Lucious Harris, Don MacLean, and Keith Van Horn on June 27, 1997.

He played in 20 games for the Sixers before being shipped to the Pistons alongside Jerry Stackhouse in exchange for Theo Ratliff and Aaron McKie on Dec. 18, 1997.

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Since his playing career, he served as a radio analyst for UNC game broadcasts for 18 seasons and worked as the senior major gifts director for the Rams Club, the fundraising arm of UNC’s athletic department. He was also known for his charitable efforts, such as helping launch a father-child basketball camp for Father’s Day weekend to support UNC Children’s Hospital.

“His family is grateful for the tremendous support and the truly overwhelming love expressed by so many people as he battled with his signature determination and grace,” the Montross family said in a statement through North Carolina.

“To know Eric was to be his friend, and the family knows that the ripples from the generous, thoughtful way that he lived his life will continue in the lives of the many people he touched with his deep and sincere kindness.”

Montross averaged 4.5 points over his eight-year career with five franchises. At Carolina, he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1993 national championship. He was a two-time Associated Press second-team All-American.