Bulls vs. 76ers Recap: Caleb Wilson Shines Again, but Chicago Falls 126-107

In this Bulls vs. 76ers recap, the story is a familiar one for Chicago: another strong night from rookie Caleb Wilson, and another loss. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Bulls 126-107 on Monday, Nov. 2, according to the Basketball-Reference box score. The result drops Chicago to 1-6 and stretches its losing streak to five games, while Philadelphia improves to 7-1.

Wilson finished with 24 points, and the Bulls stayed within reach until the third quarter. Then a deeper, more experienced Philadelphia team pulled away. For Bulls fans, the question is how much the competitive stretches matter when the margin keeps growing.

Note: This recap is based on the box score and published reports, each linked here. Remix Sports Media did not attend the game or speak with players or coaches. Quotes come from the outlets cited.

Bulls vs. 76ers Recap: How the Game Unfolded

Philadelphia led 64-59 at halftime, per Basketball-Reference. Sam Smith of Bulls.com wrote that the Bulls trailed by double digits a minute before the break. Wilson then closed the half with a steal from Joel Embiid and a fast-break dunk, a steal from LeBron James that led to a Matas Buzelis layup, and a three-pointer with one second left.

Chicago kept it close early in the third. A Wilson dunk, set up by Buzelis, made it 68-64 about three minutes into the half, Smith reported. About four minutes later the 76ers led 83-66. Philadelphia outscored Chicago 26-20 in the third quarter, according to the box score.

Josh Giddey's three-pointer cut the margin to 99-90 early in the fourth, per Bleacher Nation. The 76ers answered with a 23-12 run that made it 122-102 with 2:25 left. Coach Tiago Splitter pulled his main rotation for the final 2:22.

Caleb Wilson Keeps Raising the Floor

Wilson scored a team-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting and made 4 of 9 three-pointers. He added seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in 34 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference. Smith noted it was his third straight 20-point game.

The Chicago Tribune described how the Bulls shuffled defensive assignments, with Wilson at times guarding James and even Tyrese Maxey. Analysis: efficient scoring against a team this deep is the strongest evidence yet that his early production is not just the product of weaker matchups.

Wilson has been the main reason to watch since his debut. We covered that night in our season-opener recap.

Philadelphia's Starters Overwhelm Chicago

• Tyrese Maxey: 26 points and 11 assists.

• Jaylen Brown: 25 points and 11 rebounds.

• VJ Edgecombe: 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

• LeBron James: 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 31 minutes.

• Joel Embiid: 15 points and eight rebounds in under 25 minutes.

All five starters scored at least 15, and Philadelphia shot 48-of-91 (52.7%) from the field, per the box score. Smith wrote that the 76ers scored 62 points inside. He also credited them with 31 fast-break points, while the Tribune put the transition edge at 29-25. Counts differ by source, but both point to the same issue: Chicago could not get its defense set.

Embiid and James both missed Saturday's game with injury management, as we noted in our preview. Both played Monday. For more on James' first season in Philadelphia, see our Ring Night recap.

Turnovers and Threes Still Hold Chicago Back

The Bulls shot 38-of-89 (42.7%) and went 10-of-38 (26.3%) from three. Wilson made four of those threes, so the rest of the team went 6-of-29. The Tribune noted this was the fifth game this season in which Chicago shot below 30% from deep.

Turnovers added to the problem. Chicago committed 15, which Smith said led to 25 Philadelphia points. There were positives. The Bulls grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and scored 20 second-chance points, according to Smith.

Analysis: using the scores from our preview plus Monday's result, Chicago has scored 788 points and allowed 902 through seven games. That is about 112.6 scored and 128.9 allowed per game, a margin of roughly minus-16.3. The Bulls' offense is not the only problem, but the defense and shot quality are the bigger ones.

Giddey, Buzelis and Rotation Questions for Splitter

Giddey finished with 13 points and 10 assists, but shot 5-of-15 and had three turnovers. After the game he said the team is "taking steps in the right direction," per Bulls.com. "We feel we can be competitive every night," he said, "but we also (know) any team can beat us any night."

Buzelis had a rougher night: four points, five turnovers and four fouls in 23 minutes. Splitter said Buzelis needs to be aggressive, take care of the ball and "get out of this slump," per Bulls.com. Buzelis said he did not bring it defensively or offensively, but added, "I'll be just fine."

Norman Powell scored 18 points and made 7 of 11 free throws. Isaac Okoro played 21 minutes as the first man off the bench, and Zach Collins played 10. Noa Essengue had eight points and six rebounds, with five fouls in 14 minutes.

Smith reported that center Nic Claxton is close to returning from injury. Analysis: his return would give Splitter more rim protection and a clearer picture of which young players are keeping their starting roles.

What's Next for the Bulls

Chicago plays the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, Smith wrote, then hosts the 76ers on Sunday and the San Antonio Spurs next week. That is a difficult stretch, and the Bulls will need cleaner offense and quicker transition defense to change the results.

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