76ers at Bulls
The Philadelphia 76ers are close to locking up the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs but are not playing their best as the regular season winds to a close. The 76ers will try to snap a three-game slide and draw closer to sealing that third spot when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Philadelphia tried to make a statement against the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks at home on Thursday but ended up falling 128-122 despite All-Star center Joel Embiid posting a triple-double in his return from a three-game absence. "We've got to be a little better," 76ers guard JJ Redick told reporters after watching his team allow at least 122 points for the third straight game. "I feel like we are capable of beating any team in the NBA." The Bulls might not be capable of beating any team in the NBA given their current injury-riddled state but they did manage to snap a five-game slide with a 115-114 victory at Washington on Wednesday. Chicago has four starters among its many injured players and is giving big minutes to recently-signed G League veterans like Walt Lemon Jr. and JaKarr Sampson.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBATV, NBCS Philadelphia, WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (49-30): Embiid, who sat out three games to rest a sore knee, piled up 34 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks and a pair of steals on Thursday but was also part of a defensive effort that allowed Milwaukee to score 46 points in the fourth quarter. "We struggled guarding them, didn't we?" Philadelphia coach Brett Brown asked reporters. "We have to do better." The 76ers enter play on Friday two games ahead of the fourth-place Boston Celtics with three games left in the regular season - at Chicago, at Miami and home against Chicago.
ABOUT THE BULLS (22-57): Lemon was playing his eighth career NBA game and third since joining Chicago last week and scored a team-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting while handing out eight assists in Wednesday's win. The 26-year-old was given the chance to win the game for the Bulls and knocked down a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds left to provide the winning margin. "Nobody really expected me to be here and the fact the Bulls gave me the opportunity to play, let alone giving me a chance to win an NBA game, I can't ask for more than that," Lemon told reporters. "I'm grateful and humbled the coach would put the ball in my hands at that time. ... I'm just living the dream right now."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Sampson is averaging 20 points and eight rebounds in two games since signing with the Bulls.
2. 76ers SG Jimmy Butler (back) sat out Thursday and is day-to-day.
3. Chicago earned a 108-107 home victory over Philadelphia in the latest meeting on March 6.