Sixers grab 109-97 win over Chicago Bulls but lose Paul George to hand injury
George did not play the second half after suffering an injury to the pinky finger on his left hand. The game also held tiebreaker implications for the Sixers, who trail the Bulls in the standings.
CHICAGO — Who would have thought a late January game against the Chicago Bulls would hold such significance for the 76ers?
Not many at the beginning of the season. But there the Sixers were inside the United Center on Saturday, playing a game with huge tiebreaker implications for this year’s postseason. And the Sixers now own a 2-0 series advantage over the Bulls following a 109-97 decision.
But the Sixers didn’t leave Chicago unscathed as an already-depleted roster suffered another injury. Sixers forward Paul George didn’t play in the second half after jamming his left pinky finger. The standout forward will have an MRI on Sunday. Goerge, who did not speak to the media, finished with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting in 12 minutes, and 42 seconds.
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As a result, Tyrese Maxey was forced to carry most of the load. The point guard finished with 31 points on 12-for-23 shooting to go with nine assists and five rebounds. Additionally, Kelly Oubre Jr. (22 points and 12 rebounds), Eric Gordon (13 points) and reserve Reggie Jackson (12 points) provided much-needed support and timely baskets.
“Paul had us going early,” coach Nick Nurse said. “It was just kind of Paul and Tyrese early. And I remember kind of saying, ‘We need some other guys to start chipping in. I think Kelly, again, 22 and 12. He’s rebounding tremendously right now. Fifteen minutes for Reggie Jackson and he throws in 12 points for us. They were also really big. And again, Eric seems to be making some big shots right now, making threes.”
The Sixers and Bulls will resume their season series on Feb. 24 before facing off in the April 13 regular-season finale. Both games will be at the Wells Fargo Center. A victory in one of those contests will give the Sixers the head-to-head tiebreaker should the teams finish with identical records.
“Kyle [Lowry] said this was a must-win,” Maxey said. “I mean at the end of the day, we are fighting for our lives right now. Every game is important, and this game was extremely important. You never know, like last year tiebreakers are important. That was my first time seeing what happened last year.
“We had a tiebreaker with some teams and don’t have a tiebreaker with one team. It’s the difference [between] being fourth [place or] seventh. We don’t know where we will fall in the standings or how it is going to end up. But our objective right now is just to get better and win every single day and keep winning games.”
Saturday’s victory also pulled the 11th-place Sixers (17-27) one game behind the 10th-place Bulls (19-27) with 38 remaining. That has some significance as the teams that finish Nos. 7 through 10 will participate in the Play-In Tournament. Philly has also now won back-to-back games after losing seven straight.
“Anybody that you are looking up at, you have to put a little bit more level of importance in the game,” Nurse said. “We talked about the head to head could become a factor. But, you know, again we wanted to give ourselves a chance to win games.
“We continue to have things thrown at us now with PG going out, again. So again, we are piecing it together the best we can. And the main thing is we’re playing the right way.”
Maxey put his imprint on the game early.
The Sixers point guard scored 15 points in the first quarter. He accomplished that by being efficient, making 6 of 8 shots in the quarter. Then with the game on the line, Maxey scored seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter.
The game didn’t go without incident, though.
Maxey appeared to take exception over something a fan said while heading into a timeout with 5:04 remaining in the first half. Maxey appeared to say, “I’m not talking to you, man,” before firing back, “That’s not cool,” twice. He appeared to become a little agitated after the fans mouthed something else. As Maxey walked to get closer to the fan, assistant coach Rico Hines and guard Kyle Lowry stepped in to usher him away.
The Sixers’ team security informed United Center security and referees of what happened and stood at midcourt for the remainder of the timeout. The fan was escorted from the arena after the timeout.
When asked what occurred, Maxey tried to downplay the incident.
“I mean nothing, man,” he said. “I didn’t like the word choice. That’s all.”
What did he say?
“I’m not going to repeat what he said,” Maxey said. “I’m just going to say I didn’t like the word choice. That’s it.”
However, sources said the fan was accused of addressing Maxey as “boy,” leading to his ejection.
Back on the court, the Sixers welcomed Lowry back to the lineup after he missed the past 10 games with a sprained right hip. Nurse was looking for the 38-year-old to make an impact off the bench in a limited role while playing short stints. Lowry finished with two points, two assists, one block, and a steal in 15:22.
The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (knee), Andre Drummond (foot), Caleb Martin (groin) and KJ Martin (foot). Caleb Martin and KJ Martin will return to practice this week. The forwards’ availability will be determined following those practices.
Up Next
The Sixers will entertain the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. This will be the teams’ second and final series game of the season. The Lakers defeated the Sixers, 116-106, in Los Angeles on Nov. 8.