Don’t look now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are approaching being a normal\* basketball team _(\*Sixers-adjusted scale)_. Over their last five games, the Sixers are 3-2, with the losses coming in overtime to Houston and to the Magic in a game that came down to the final seconds. Philadelphia has now climbed up to 13th place in the Eastern Conference. Take that, Hornets and Wizards!
The Sixers have been helped by Paul George looking closer to his old self. The veteran nine-time All-Star recovered from his second bone bruise of the season and has played three of the last four games, all three appearances resulting in Philadelphia wins. Over his last two games, George has averaged 25.0 points and 8.5 assists. This is what the Sixers signed up for when shelling out four years, $212 million in the offseason.
Philadelphia could also get a boost from Joel Embiid, who might make his return after being [upgraded to questionable](https://www.libertyballers.com/2024/12/7/24315831/joel-embiid-knee-injury-update-questionable-sixers-vs-bulls) for today’s contest. Embiid hasn’t played since November 20 in Memphis and certainly hasn’t played to MVP form when he has taken the court this season, so we probably shouldn’t expect the world if he is able to give it a go. Still, it’s hopefully a positive sign, as is the fact that the roster is relatively healthy as a whole, with only Adem Bona listed as out due to injury.
Meanwhile, Chicago is missing Patrick Williams due to a foot injury, but Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, and Coby White are all listed as probable. As usual, the Bulls are around the Play-In Tournament range at 10-14, with no realistic chance to make a run in the East, but too much talent to completely bottom out. Chicago did make one move towards a rebuild during the offseason, conducting a three-team sign-and-trade to send DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento in return for a couple second-round picks. However, they also sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City in exchange for Josh Giddey, rather than getting draft capital from someone in return for the veteran defensive ace.
Zach LaVine is back healthy after missing most of last season, leading the team in scoring at 21.8 points per game, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three. LaVine has two more seasons after this one left on his deal after this one, making over $90 million, so it’d be tough to find a trade partner, but he’s inching back towards not being a highly negative asset.
A likelier trade asset is Nikola Vucevic, who is in the last year of his deal next season at only $21.4 million. The former Sixers first-round pick is currently averaging career-highs in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, eFG% and true shooting percentage. He’s currently shooting 58.7 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three on 4.8 attempts per game. Two games ago, Voose dropped 39 points in San Antonio on 16-of-22 shooting. This would be a terrific sell high moment for a guy in Year 14 on an all-time heater.
Sunday matinee games are often quirky with players thrown off their usual gameday routines. I’m sure a lot of Sixers fans will be focused on the gridiron contest happening in South Philly at the exact same time. We’ll see if Joel responds well to his warm-up and can suit up. Either way, this should be a good challenge for the Sixers following the nice win over Orlando on Friday. The Bulls aren’t world beaters, but they’re a massive step up from the Pistons and Hornets last weekend. Let’s second screen some Philadelphia sports and take measure of how far these Sixers have come from the disastrous start to the season.
**Game Details**
**Who:** Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls
**When:** 1:00 p.m. ET
**Where:** United Center, Chicago, IL
**Watch:** NBC Sports Philadelphia
**Radio:** 97.5 The Fanatic
**Follow:** [**@LibertyBallers**](http://twitter.com/Liberty_Ballers)