Sixers feel they found a ‘mini-identity’ without Joel Embiid while splitting four-game trip

CHICAGO — One might assume that the 76ers were disappointed flying back to Philadelphia on Sunday morning after going 2-2 on a pivotal road trip. That was far from the case.

“That was a difficult road trip,” coach Nick Nurse said Saturday after a 105-92 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in the final game of the trip. “And without Joel [Embiid] the whole way, I think that I kind of said [before the trip], ‘I’m looking forward to it. We need it.’ I’m glad we got out of it two-and-two.

“I think any of the wins on that road trip were going to be hard and we were able to pick off two of them. And I thought we fought really hard in the other two.”

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The Sixers (22-10) opened the trip with a 119-113 loss to the Miami Heat at the Kayesa Center on Christmas. On that night, the Sixers battled back from a 21-point deficit to regain the lead. They also got solid play from forwards Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre.

However, they were unable to overcome Tyrese Maxey’s worst performance of his career.

The Sixers point guard finished with 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting. He made just one of his eight three-point attempts. Maxey was held scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting in the first half.

But Maxey bounced back and showed he’s capable of leading the Sixers to victory without Embiid in Wednesday’s 112-92 victory over the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center.

He finished with a team-high 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, including making 3 of 6 three-pointers in the Sixers’ first victory in five tries without Embiid. Twelve of Maxey’s points came in the second quarter on 5-for-7 shooting.

Then he and the Sixers continued where they left off Friday in a 131-127 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

Maxey, who finished with a game-high 42 points, was in attack mode all game, scoring 27 of his points in the first half. He shot 13 of 26 from the field to go with four rebounds and four assists.

Harris added 22 points on 10-for-18 shooting. He also had seven assists, four rebounds, and three blocks.

But the Sixers would not have won without Marcus Morris’ late heroics.

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The reserve forward played the entire fourth quarter as the small-ball center, scoring 10 of his 14 points. He made 3 of 4 shots — including going 2-for-3 on three-pointers — in addition to finishing with five rebounds, a block, and a steal.

He scored on a four-point play to give his team a 126-122 cushion with 31.6 seconds left. And with the Sixers clinging to a three-point lead, Morris grabbed a defensive rebound with 1.8 seconds remaining.

But the Sixers were sluggish while facing the undermanned Bulls at the United Center the next day.

Maxey had 20 points on 8-for-22 shooting — including missing 6 of 8 three-point attempts. Harris had 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting and was minus-20 in 34 minutes, 19 seconds. As a team, the Sixers shot 39.1% — including going 9 of 38 from beyond the three-point line.

The Bulls also exploited Embiid’s absence, scoring 62 points in the paint and holding a 53-36 rebounding advantage. Former Sixers center Andre Drummond had a quintessential you’ll-always-regret-trading-me game. The two-time All-Star and the best backup the Sixers had behind Embiid finished with 15 points, 23 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals against his former team.

But it’s not surprising that Drummond was a tough matchup for the Sixers without Embiid.

The 6-foot-11, 289-pounder had a 79-pound advantage on Paul Reed, who started at center in place of Embiid on the road trip. Drummond is 58 pounds heavier than Mo Bamba, the Sixers’ other available center. So this game was the equivalent of an excessive eater seated at the table for Thanksgiving dinner for Drummond: He feasted.

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

“I thought we fought really hard in the two [losses],” Nurse said. “I thought we gave ourselves a chance in Miami. After not playing that well, we still had a close game down the stretch.

“This one wasn’t as close down the stretch, but I think we were doing everything we could to fight and stay in it.”

The Sixers hope Embiid (ankle) will be available when they host the Bulls Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The 7-2, 280-pounder’s presence should take away Drummond’s easy path to the basket. Embiid has actually dominated the career head-to-head battles.

But injuries to Embiid and Nico Batum, who returned Saturday after missing five games with a strained right hamstring, provided extended minutes for Reed, Morris, and Danuel House Jr.

“This was a good road trip for us,” Harris said. “Two-and-two, to finish out with kind of a mini-identity to this group without playing with the big fella. And to do that on the fly, we’re adjusting defenses out there [against the Rockets]. We continue to get guys back in the rotation as well, so different variables.

“But at the end of the day, overall on the road trip, I thought we made a lot of progress. We grew and developed as a team through those games.”