PHILADELPHIA — Bulls center Nikola Vucevic made a joke.
Vucevic was asked what it’s like to guard 76ers superstar big man Joel Embiid and, as straight-faced as he could, replied: ‘‘It’s very easy, you know.’’
The joke only could last so long, however. He gave a quick giggle, then offered the real answer.
‘‘It’s tough, especially when he gets it going like he did [with 40 points Monday],’’ Vucevic said after the Bulls’ 108-104 victory. ‘‘The mid-range, the three — it’s hard. And then if you try and close out a little harder to him, he’s really good off that first step. And if he catches you, it’s hard to get back in front because he’s so strong. Tough matchup. We tried to do our best. Some plays at the end, we did a much better job.”
Specifically on the play that mattered most.
Trailing by two with 16 seconds left and their six-game winning streak on the line, the 76ers came out of a timeout and went to a pick-and-roll set with guard Tyrese Maxey and Embiid, with the hope that Embiid could tie the score with his 41st and 42nd points.
But Bulls guard Alex Caruso did a phenomenal job of not getting caught up in the screen. Then, once the ball got to Embiid, guard Coby White stepped in front and Vucevic completed the wall and made the shot tougher.
Embiid missed, and the Bulls (11-17) had arguably their most significant victory of the season.
‘‘We suffered in the Miami game at the end [Saturday] with those offensive rebounds,’’ coach Billy Donovan said of that final stand. ‘‘Vooch did a great job in the coverage, Coby was there for support and Vooch was able to get back. And even when Embiid put the ball up on the glass, the play is not over with his size and length. For DeMar [DeRozan] to have the wherewithal to go up and grab the rebound, those were the plays that got us beat in Miami.’’
Lesson learned.
Now, can it be sustained? That always seems to be the question with the Bulls. But their 6-3 record in their last nine games — the same nine games in which they’ve been without injured guard Zach LaVine (right foot) — isn’t just dumb luck, in Donovan’s opinion.
‘‘Philly is an elite team in the Eastern Conference,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘We’ve competed well against the better teams.
‘‘The most important thing is the connectedness of the 32 assists, sharing the basketball, covering for each other, the extra passing, taking charges. Those are all things that, to me, are about being connected. And I just believe the more connected you are as a team — ‘You know what? I don’t want to let this guy down next to me. I’ve got a responsibility to him’ — we’re starting to at least get to that part where you can feel that.’’
That wasn’t the case early against the 76ers, given that the Bulls fell behind 16-4.
As he has for most of the last month, however, White started getting hot and his teammates got out of his way. White scored seven consecutive points to put the Bulls back in business, and they had taken a one-point lead by the end of the quarter. By halftime, their lead was 11.
The 76ers made a run in the third quarter, but the Bulls responded to every push they made. That’s why six Bulls finished in double figures, with White leading the way with 24 points and Vucevic with 23.
‘‘It’s a big win for us,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘Hopefully, we’re on a good path and we can continue that way.’’
