Josh Giddey didn’t count the Chicago Bulls out.
Not when they fell behind by 24 points in the first quarter Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Or when that deficit remained stubbornly in double digits. And, no, not even on the second-to-last possession, when Giddey forced his way downhill only to toss the ball into the hands of 76ers center Joel Embiid.
With 14 seconds left in the 113-111 win, the Bulls hadn’t led for a single moment. That didn’t matter to Giddey either. He had the ball in his hands and a fresh play design from coach Billy Donovan. In comparison with the early hole, a one-point deficit seemed like nothing.
The only thing left for Giddey to do was follow the formula — put his head down, set a course for the rim, slingshot the ball to Nikola Vučević in the corner and wait for the sound of the ball snapping through the net.
The Bulls just aren’t going away. It doesn’t matter if they’re missing their leading scorer. Or if they dig themselves into a 24-point hole. And after Tuesday’s win, they’re back on top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 6-1 record — all without Coby White on the court.
It all comes down to luck and guts and a refusal to be counted out of any game.
Red Panda makes her return to the NBA court during Chicago Bulls game
“Tonight was one of the best wins that I’ve ever been a part of,” Giddey said. “To gut that one out and dig ourselves out of the hole that we did was unbelievable.”
The win punctuated another herculean effort from Giddey, who finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists. It’s the first time a Bulls player recorded back-to-back triple-doubles since Michael Jordan in 1989.
It was the 20th triple-double of Giddey’s young career. The 23-year-old guard isn’t one to bask in his accomplishments, typically shrugging off questions after triple-doubles and other stat-stuffed performances.
But after matching a Jordan feat, Giddey had to accept a little praise.
“That’s cool,” he said with a grin. “I’m not going to sit here and lie about it and say it’s not cool.”
Still, Giddey — as always — was quick to deflect his success back to the bigger picture.
“All the individual stuff comes as a byproduct of winning and being a part of a very, very fun team to play with,” he said. “I’m grateful that I’ve got teammates and coaches that allow me to be in positions to be successful.”
Here are four more takeaways from the win.
1. Nikola Vučević won the battle of the bigs.
The Bulls don’t win this game without Vučević — and that statement extends far beyond the winning shot.
The most important contribution Vučević can make in any game against the 76ers involves his defense against Embiid, who has been limited throughout the start of the season. On Tuesday, the 76ers played Embiid for 20 minutes before pulling him early in the third quarter for a lengthy break.
The Bulls chipped the deficit down to seven points while Embiid sat on the bench. When he re-entered for the final 5 minutes, 39 seconds, Vučević managed to negate the former MVP’s impact.
Embiid was already out of rhythm, showing glimpses of a timidity that has hounded his recent play. Vučević took advantage, slapping the ball out of Embiid’s hands for one turnover and poking away another several plays later.
Embiid didn’t score in the fourth quarter, going 0-for-5 from the field. In contrast, Vučević netted nine points in the fourth — including the game-winner.
2. The Bulls had a miserable start.
The Bulls couldn’t have drawn up a worse start than Tuesday’s first quarter.
It didn’t help that the 76ers hardly missed, going 8-for-11 from 3-point range. The Bulls, meanwhile, made only two 3-pointers in the quarter, which ended with the 76ers ahead 45-27.
But it wasn’t just the shooting. The 76ers were pests on defense, swarming at the point of attack with a handsy style of aggression. In response, the Bulls melted into passivity on both ends of the court. They coughed up turnovers and allowed the 76ers to secure nine offensive boards in the first half.
Donovan pulled Matas Buzelis off the court twice in the first quarter alone. The second-year forward struggled to stay in front of his defensive assignments and allowed himself to be manhandled on offense by Kelly Oubre Jr.
Buzelis and fellow forward Patrick Williams failed to grab a single rebound in the first half, a reflection of the Bulls’ complete lack of physicality at the start of the game.
3. Like flipping a switch.
After spending the first half getting walked up and down the court, the Bulls entered the second half with urgency. They won the offensive (9-3) and defensive (24-12) boards and scored 15 points off nine Philadelphia turnovers.
Most importantly, the Bulls took control of the game’s tempo, outscoring Philadelphia on the fast break 19-7. Simultaneously, the 76ers lost their rhythm at the perimeter, going 3-for-19 from 3-point range in the final three quarters.
The 76ers didn’t make a single field goal in the final 6:26. They shot 4-for-22 from the field in the fourth quarter and missed all six of their 3-point attempts. This sudden shift in accuracy — and, perhaps, luck — swung the game into the Bulls’ favor.
Donovan struggled to relish the win after watching the first-quarter meltdown — but the second half offered evidence of how the Bulls can control competition through marginal gains on the glass and in the open court.
“We just don’t have the luxury to not invest for the full 48 minutes on the physicality,” Donovan said. “I’m really happy that they were able to win and proud of how they played. But we’re not going to be a very good team if we just try to rely on running down the floor and shooting the ball and trying to get downhill.
“That’s part of the iteration to this group — we’ve got to be more physical.”
4. Isaac Okoro found his groove.
While Vučević battled to contain Embiid, forward Isaac Okoro tackled an equally demanding assignment — slowing Tyrese Maxey, who leads the 76ers in scoring this season.
Maxey tore apart the Bulls defense in the first quarter, racking up 12 points and four assists. The Bulls initially assigned Tre Jones to Maxey in an effort to preempt cross-matching, but after the first-quarter flurry, Donovan switched Okoro onto the 76ers guard as a primary defender.
The Bulls took a further step into a prevent defense in the second half, with Okoro picking up Maxey full court and working overtime to keep the ball out of his hands.
The effort went only so far — Maxey still finished with 39 points on 14-for-26 shooting, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range. But he shot 2-for-8 from the field in the fourth quarter, a crucial cornerstone of the Bulls’ comeback.
