Sixers cap a four-game road trip with a 105-92 loss to the Chicago Bulls

CHICAGO — The 76ers came into United Center, looking to end their four-game road trip on a high note.

Instead, they exited with their second loss to the Chicago Bulls in 13 days.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 24 points and Andre Drummond added 15 points and 23 rebounds as Chicago took a 105-92 victory Saturday night.

As a result, the Sixers dropped to 22-10 and finished 2-2 on their four-game trip with stops in Miami, Orlando, Houston, and the Windy City.

Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers with 20 points on 8-for-22 shooting along with a game-high seven assists. Tobias Harris added 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

The Sixers were ranked third in the league in scoring at 121.9 points. But they finished with their third-lowest scoring performance of the season.

Chicago (15-19) used a 21-9 run in the fourth quarter to take a 103-86 lead. The Sixers would get no closer than 13 points of the Bulls’ lead the rest of the way.

Philly was without Joel Embiid, who has a sprained right ankle, on this road trip. And some believe the Sixers are a major piece to compete for an NBA title.

But before the game Nick Nurse shook his head, signaling no to an obvious question.

The Sixers coach was asked before Saturday’s game if his squad needs to make a move following the day’s Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks trade.

The Knicks got better with the acquisition of OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn from the Raptors in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a 2024 second-round pick.

Anunoby, one of the league’s best defenders, had been mentioned as a missing piece the Sixers could have used for a deep postseason. Now, he’s just elevated the postseason hopes for one of their rivals.

But Nurse, who coached Anunoby, Achiuwa, and Flynn during his tenure as Raptors coach, doesn’t think this forces the Sixers to make a move.

So what does he like about his roster that makes him think the Sixers can compete with teams after these moves were made?

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“I think you always have to be in the mindset to upgrade at all times,” Nurse said. “Whether I was coaching the Iowa Energy, or coaching the Sixers, there’s always places. Can you improve 10 through 12? Can you improve eight through 10? Can you improve three through five?

“You are always trying to do that or you are getting assets so you can do something else.”

Nurse noted that’s what Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and his guys do every day. But the coach thinks the Sixers have enough talented players and experience coming off the bench.

“When we lose a few guys [due to injuries], we are able to withstand it, you know?” Nurse said. “We do not have to lose a whole bunch of games in a row [because of the depth]. We can plug away and keep our head above water a little bit.

“So there is still trying to figure out half of these guys that I got. ... So we are OK.”

The Sixers are in the process of figuring out a lot of things.

They’re learning how to play without Embiid. Harris is also figuring out how to stay more involved offensively when plays aren’t drawn up for him.

The Sixers power forward scored his 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting. But he had scored at least 22 points in four straight games heading into Saturday’s game. He averaged 26.0 points on 51.2% on 20.5 shots per game in those contests. This comes after Harris averaged 11.3 points while shooting 45.1% on 9.3 shots in his prior 11 games.

This is a result of the 13th-year veteran getting himself more involved by being active and aggressive.

“I always evaluate everything throughout the year,” Harris said. “I don’t let a few games alter my mindset, but I do sit down and watch and re-adjust and see different ways when it’s different from what you can call early on. Now, I’m just seeking out a little bit more of those opportunities, taking advantage of them, and also in games being ultra aggressive from time to time and it’s been working.”

In the process, Harris is in the midst of his best stretch of the season. He averaged 19.3 points while shooting 54.2% on 13.4 shots in the first 16 games when plays were called for him.

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A case can be made that Harris averaging 20.5 shots over the last four games is a result of Embiid being sidelined. But Harris did score a season-high 33 points on 13-for-23 shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 22 while Embiid played. Harris got up 18, 23, and 18 shot attempts the next three games with the six-time All-Star sidelined.

On Saturday, Sixers forward Nicolas Batum returned after missing the past five games with a right hamstring strain. However, Zach LaVine (inflamed right foot), Torrey Craig (right plantar fascia sprain), Lonzo Ball (left heel surgery), and Nikola Vučević (left adductor strain) all missed the game for the Bulls.

Nurse himself was feeling under the weather Saturday, saying that he was about “89%.”

The Sixers are off until Tuesday, when they’ll entertain the Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The team hopes that Embiid plays in that game.