Shorthanded Sixers blow out Bulls in unlikely win thanks to big performances from Bradley, Howard and Thybulle

Tonight, the Sixers blew out the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, 127-105, despite being short Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, who both missed the game thanks to the league’s health and safety protocols.

Matisse Thybulle and Tony Bradley got the starts in the stars’ absences, and both were fantastic. Thybulle made all five shots he took, including three 3s. He had five steals. I can’t wait to see the matchup data tomorrow, as Matisse did great guarding Zach LaVine (who went 7-of-16, overall). Bradley was a revelation. He scored 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, along with five rebounds and three blocks.

The Sixers’ bench, overall, was fantastic. Furkan Korkmaz had 16 points, while Shake Milton had 10. But the story off the bench was Dwight Howard, who followed up his impressive game versus Utah with another great showing tonight. Howard had 18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 24 minutes.

If you’d told me the Sixers scored 127 without Joel and Ben, I’d have guessed Tobias Harris went for 40. Nope! He was solid, but not spectacular. He scored 24 points on 15 shots, and he only needed to play 25 minutes.

Kudos to Doc Rivers for having his undermanned squad ready to go and steal this win on the road.

Next up for the Sixers is a faceoff tomorrow night with Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards in D.C., in what Philly hopes will be the return of Joel Embiid.