Strong fourth quarter propels Sixers to win despite Paul George leaving early

Chicago – Well, a win is indeed a win.

The Sixes have swept their first back-to-back of the season, defeating the Chicago Bulls 109-97 on Saturday night. However, Paul George left the game in the second quarter after suffering a finger injury.

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 31 points along with nine assists. He shot 12-of-23 from the floor and 5-of-13 from three. It’s his tenth straight game with 28 or more points. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First quarter

• Not surprisingly, it was a rather different start from Friday night’s Sixers-Cavaliers contest, where both teams opened the game 3-of-7 from the floor. It didn’t look like tired legs early, though, as the Sixers hit the backcourt.
• However, George picked up right where he left off on Friday – he made his first three shots of the night, but also had a turnover because he left his feet trying to fit a pass. Maxey got off to a slow start but got going later in the quarter where he was able to get off a couple of screens to open him up for a pair of threes. He finished with 15 in the opening quarter.

• Chicago’s offense got going like the Sixers’ did — the Bulls made six of their last seven shots of the quarter. With Kyle Lowry returning, Nick Nurse went back to his double point guard lineup as Reggie Jackson checked in with him. If he insists on that lineup, Jeff Dowtin Jr. probably makes more sense because at least he has a little bit of size and has also been playing a little better of late. The Sixers led by two after the first frame thanks to a pair of PG free throws.

Second Quarter

• Of course, it was Jackson who scored the first five Sixers points in the second. The unit with him, Lowry, Justin Edwards and Guerschon Yabusele was definitely a choice. How that group was able to score points when they traded Yabu for Adem Bona is a mystery.
• Despite a more normal rotation mixing it up on the floor, the offense continued to be a bit of a struggle for Philadelphia. A baseline layup by Ricky Council IV snapped a scoreless drought that had lasted over three minutes.
• Council checked in for George, who was only in the game for about a 40-second shift before coming back out. He was not on the Sixers’ bench at the end of the half. It’s always something this year, right?
• Despite his absence, the Sixers put together a pretty solid close to the half. Council earned a couple trips to the free throw line, Oubre got a couple runners going and Maxey found Bona for a really nice layup. The Sixers led by seven at halftime.

Third Quarter

• Something definitely happened to PG when Edwards started the second half in his place. A few minutes into the second half, George was ruled out for the rest of the contest with a left “fifth finger” injury (called a “pinky finger” by everyone else at the ground).
• It took the Sixers more than three minutes to get on the board in the third, but they settled down once they did. Oubre made another basket in transition and knocked down his first three of the night.

• Shortly after that stretch, the offense hit another break and it went scoreless for nearly four minutes. While Maxey got a shot in there, the offense went to Jackson and Lowry a lot during this time.
• The Bulls took full advantage of the Sixers’ slump and retook the lead during that stretch. Nik Vucevic’s size wore on Philadelphia as the game wore on, and Zach LaVine had a solid night throughout. Chicago led by three heading into the final frame.

Fourth Quarter

• Neither offense looked much better to start the final quarter as the teams combined for five turnovers in the first three minutes. Despite giving the fans free hot dogs by missing two at the line, Oubre kept things flowing by getting to the basket, which has been a bit of a trend lately.
• Then it was the Bulls’ turn for a drought as they hit a three-minute scoreless stretch. Maxey hit a turnaround jumper and Yabu drove down the paint for a bucket, but that was before Lonzo Ball cut the lead back to two with his third three of the night.
• Maxey responded well, though, sinking a cool floater that went across his body and burying a three on the ensuing possession. Oubre and Eric Gordon hit a pair of jumpers, but they also made some big deflections that led to fast breaks to help put the game away.

• The Sixers head straight back to Philadelphia as they begin a six-game home stretch. They kick it off Tuesday against LA Lakers at 7:30 PM ET on TNT.