PHILADELPHIA — The clock is ticking on the 76ers’ season.
Friday’s 126-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center marked their 38th contest of an 82-game season. It also was their 32nd game without their season-opening starting lineup intact. This time, perennial All-NBA selection Joel Embiid missed his second consecutive game with a sore left foot.
That’s far from ideal for a squad with several new additions and NBA championship aspirations. The Sixers would love to get into a rhythm with a full squad. Yet they’re running out of quality time to do so.
The emergence of Shake Milton as a key piece has been a silver lining for over a month. But Montrezl Harrell’s play during Embiid’s absence also has been a bonus.
But the Sixers (23-15) felt Embiid’s absence on this night when two winning streaks snapped.
This marked their first home loss in 12 games. The outcome also snapped their 12-game series winning streak against the Bulls (18-21).
They were doomed by an inability to stop Zach LaVine and Nik Vučević.
LaVine led all scorers with 41 points while making season-high 11 3-pointers in 13 attempts. The shooting guard also had six assists, two steals and a block. He did most of his damage in the third quarter, scoring 19 points while making 5 of 6 3s.
Meanwhile, Vučević finished had a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. His impact was felt from the start. The two-time All-Star had nine points and seven rebounds in his first nine minutes and 14 and 12 at the half.
Vučević, a former Sixer, got whatever shot he wanted.
Meanwhile, James Harden came close to notching a triple-double. The perennial All-NBA selection had 17 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. However, he made just 4 of 17 shots, including missing 6 of 9 3-pointers. Harden missed his first nine shots. His first basket didn’t come until 50.8 seconds left in the first half.
To his credit, Harden hit two huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Sixers get back into the game.
Tyrese Maxey had 26 points in his fourth game back from a fractured left foot. Getting his groove back, Maxey made 5 of 7 3-pointers. Tobias Harris had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. And Harrell added 17 points off the bench after finishing with a season-high 19 on Wednesday.
Missing Embiid
This marked the 10th game Embiid missed because of the flu, right knee recovery, a sprained left foot, and left foot soreness. The Sixers are 6-4 without him this season.
Rivers was asked how Embiid is doing, and how long he expects him to be out.
“He’s doing better,” the coach said. “But I don’t know the answer to the second part. He’s just working his way back. … We’ll evaluate what he’s going to do going into Detroit.”
The Sixers travel to Detroit to face the Pistons at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Tucker’s play
The Sixers started a small-ball lineup of De’Anthony Melton, Harris, P.J. Tucker, Maxey, and Harden for the second straight game.
In the first half, Tucker played timid on offense, making several of their Sixers’ half-court possessions tough to watch. At times, it was like they were playing four-on-five. More of a blue-collar role player, Tucker usually spots up in the corner or sets picks for teammates. But he passed up several wide-open scoring opportunities and looked out of sync.
Tucker played better after intermission, even scoring an 8-foot jumper 1 minute, 48 seconds into half.
The 37-year-old attempted three shots on the night, making one, and finishing with two points. This marked the third straight game Tucker didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
