Sixers grab 109-97 win over Bulls but lose Paul George to hand injury

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan 25, 2025

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CHICAGO — Who would have thought a late January game against the Chicago Bulls would hold such significance for the Philadelphia 76ers?

Not many at the beginning of the season. But there the Sixers were on Saturday inside the United Center, playing a game with huge tiebreaker implications for this year’s postseason. And the Sixers now own a 2-0 series advantage over the Bulls following a 109-97 decision.

But the Sixers didn’t leave Chicago unscathed as an already-depleted roster suffered another injury. Sixers forward Paul George didn’t play in the second half after injuring his left pinky finger. He finished with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting in 12 minutes, 42 seconds.

As a result, Tyrese Maxey was forced to carry most of the load. The point guard finished with 31 on 12-for-23 shooting to go do with nine assists and five rebounds. But Kelly Oubre Jr. (22 points and 12 rebounds), Eric Gordon (13 points) and reserve Reggie Jackson (12 points) provided much-needed support and timely baskets.

The Sixers and Bulls will resume their season series on Feb. 24 before facing off in the April 13 regular-season finale. Both games will be the Wells Fargo Center. A victory in one of those contests will give the Sixers the head-to-head tiebreaker should the teams finish with identical records.

Saturday’s victory also pulled the 11th-place Sixers (17-27) one game behind the 10th-place Bulls (19-27) with 38 remaining. That has some significance as the teams that finish Nos. 7 through 10 will participate in the Play-In Tournament. Philly has also won back-to-back games after losing seven straight, including Friday’s win over the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

Maxey put his imprint on the game early.

The Sixers point guard scored 15 points in the first quarter. He accomplished that by being efficient, making 6 of 8 shots in the quarter. Then with the game on the line, Maxey scored seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter.

The game didn’t go without incident, though.

Maxey appeared to take exception with something a fan said while heading into a timeout with 5 minutes, 4 seconds remaining in the first half. Maxey appeared to say, “I’m not talking to you, man,” before firing back, “That’s not cool,” twice. He appeared to become a little agitated after the fans mouthed something else. As Maxey walked to get closer to the fan, assistant coach Rico Hines and guard Kyle Lowry stepped in to usher him away.

The Sixers’ team security informed United Center security and referees of what happened and stood at midcourt for the remainder of the timeout. The fan was then escorted from the arena after the timeout.

Back on the court, the Sixers welcomed Lowry back to the lineup after he missed the past 10 games with a sprained right hip. Coach Nick Nurse was looking for the 38-year-old to make an impact off the bench in a limited role while playing short stints. Lowry finished with two points, two assists, one block and one steal in 15:22.

The Sixers were without Joel Embiid (knee), Andre Drummond (foot), Caleb Martin (groin) and KJ Martin (foot). Caleb Martin and KJ Martin will return to practice this week. The forwards’ availability will be determined following those practices.

Up Next

The Sixers will play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. This will be the teams’ second and final game of the season. The Lakers defeated the Sixers, 116-106, in Los Angeles on Nov. 8.