Sixers-Bulls observations: Jimmy Butler’s aggressiveness shows up, but defensive woes remain

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls defeated the 76ers, 108-107, Wednesday night at the United Center.

Here are some observations and best and worst awards:

— Aggressive Jimmy Butler was in the building. The Sixers swingman came out strong against his former team. There were times when Butler passed up open three-pointers, drove the lane and finished around the basket. In addition to playing to his strengths, Butler had nine shots in the first half, something he hadn’t done in some time.

— Joel Embiid’s presence was missed in a major way. Seven-foot Bulls center Robin Lopez was a handful for the undersized Sixers centers. Thirteen of his 19 points came in the first half. Lopez also had nine rebounds, with five coming on the offensive end. Three of his offensive boards came in the fourth quarter.

— Add Zach LaVine to the list of players who have torched the Sixers. The standout guard finished with 39 points, marking the 34th time that an opposing player has scored at least 30 against the Sixers this season. They’ll need to correct this before the postseason — if they can.

— Having Mike Scott switch onto LaVine on the Bulls’ final possession was a bad idea from the start. The reserve power forward said there was miscommunication that led to his not switching quickly enough onto the guard, who went on to hit the winning basket with one second left. But Scott would have been in a tough spot even if he switched on time. The Sixers would have been better off having Butler, one of the league’s top defenders, stay on LaVine by fighting through Lopez’s screen, especially with the game on the line. This was the latest example of the Sixers’ love for switching coming back to haunt them.

— Best performance: LaVine gets this award for his 39 points. This was his 10th 30-point game of the season.

— Worst performance: This goes to Timothe-Luwawu-Cabarrot. The former Sixer had three points on 1-for-4 shooting and graded out at a minus-eight in 14 minutes, 5 seconds of action.

— Best defensive performance: This goes to Sixers center Jonah Bolden, who had two steals and two blocks in a reserve role.

— Worst statistic: This goes to the Sixers’ shooting 3-for-21 in the fourth quarter.

— Best statistic: I had to give this to Ben Simmons’ making 5 of 6 foul shots.