Getty Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers wins the opening tip against Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls.
Behind 40 points and 10 rebounds from Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls on February 6 by a final score of 119-108 to improve to 32-21 on the season.
Bulls shooting guard DeMar DeRozan went off for 45 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but his stellar performance wasn’t enough to lead Chicago past Philadelphia, who had four players in double-figures.
The Sixers are 3-0 against the Bulls this season. Embiid is in the MVP conversation since he’s averaging 29.3 points and 10.9 rebounds and Philadelphia is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings despite all the Ben Simmons drama. JoJo leads the league in scoring and is ninth in rebounds.
DeRozan has garnered some MVP hype as well due to his spectacular play in his first season with the Bulls. The five-time All-Star is putting up 27.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and has the Bulls in second place in the East.
Even though the Sixers have beaten the Bulls three times this season, Embiid has nothing but kind things to say about DeRozan, who will start in this year’s All-Star Game alongside Joel.
Embiid on DeRozan: ‘I’ve Always Thought That He Was Underrated’
Embiid praised DeRozan during his postgame media session with reporters following the Sixers-Bulls contest. The superstar center said the Bulls guard reminds him of the late great Kobe Bryant.
“He’s a pretty good player,” Embiid said, via Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “I’ve always thought that he was underrated. The way he plays when you talk about what he’s able to do on the floor. Footwork kinda reminds me of just kinda Kobe, just the footwork. The tough shots that he takes, all mid-range, being able to do like I said everything on the court. He’s definitely underrated, and I’ve always been a fan.”
DeRozan is an old-school scorer. He dominates opponents from the mid-range and doesn’t shoot many 3-pointers. The USC product averages only 1.9 3-point field goal attempts per game and he’s still fourth in the NBA in scoring.
Bryant was DeRozan’s favorite player as a child. The Bulls’ leading scorer patterned his game after the Los Angeles Lakers legend, which is why he was devastated when the Black Mamba died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
“Words can’t explain it,” DeRozan said on January 26, 2020, via David Flores of Kens5.com. “For myself, learning everything I’ve learned basketball-wise from Kobe. What he meant to the game, the inspiration that he brought to the world. Everything I learned came from Kobe. Everything. Take Kobe away, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have love. I wouldn’t have passion, the drive. Everything, everything, came from him.”
Both Embiid and DeRozan had relationships with Bryant before the five-time champion passed away. Now, each All-Star is trying to make Kobe proud by winning a championship.
Bulls, Sixers Are Title Contenders
The Bulls and Sixers are title contenders this season. Chicago is 12th in the NBA in net rating, while Philadelphia is 10th. As long as DeRozan and Embiid stay healthy, the Bulls and Sixers could go on deep runs in the 2022 playoffs.
Neither DeRozan nor Embiid has been to the NBA Finals. The former has been to the Eastern Conference Finals, while the latter has yet to get past the Eastern Conference semifinals. This year is the perfect opportunity for DeRozan and Embiid to make a run at the Finals since the East is wide open.
The Miami Heat, who are in first place in the conference, are only 0.5 games ahead of the Bulls and 1.5 games ahead of the Sixers.
It will be fascinating to see who wins MVP this season. While DeRozan and Embiid would certainly love to win their first MVP Award, they are likely more focused on team success and leading their respective club to a title.