Sixers vs. Bulls takeaways: Joel Embiid one of the all-time best; Kelly Oubre Jr. should remain a starter

Joel Embiid is one of the NBA’s all-time great scorers.

Kelly Oubre Jr. appears to be making it hard for the 76ers to take him out of the starting lineup.

And Jaden Springer can provide much-needed hustle plays off the bench if given the opportunity.

Those three things stood out in the Sixers’ 110-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Being sidelined for four games with a sprained right ankle didn’t seem to effect Embiid in his return.

In his first game back, the 7-foot-2, 280-pound center finished with game highs of 31 points and 10 assists, along with 15 rebounds and two blocks in just 31 minutes, 27 seconds. Embiid, who tied with Tobias Harris at a game-best plus-32, sat out of the fourth quarter of a lopsided game for the 10th time this season.

While recording his second triple-double of the season and seventh of his career, Embiid scored at least 30 points for the 15th consecutive game. In doing so, he joined former teammate James Harden (2018-19), Kobe Bryant (2002-03), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971-72), and Wilt Chamberlain (1963-64) as the last five players to accomplish that feat.

Harden, Bryant, Adbul-Jabbar, and Chamberlain all won league scoring titles in those seasons.

Embiid is on pace for this third straight scoring title, averaging a league- and career-best 34.8 points.

He shot 10-for-20 from the field and made 9 of 12 free throws against the Bulls (15-20). Early on, he was more of a distributor than a scorer. Embiid had half of his 10 assists in the first quarter.

“They gave me a lot of outlets to make those passes,” he said. ”And you know, get guys open. So that’s what I was doing.”

Embiid also joins Abdul-Jabbar (1971-72) and Chamberlain (1963-64) as the last three players with 14 straight games with 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds.

Oubre was great starting alongside Tyrese Maxey in the Sixers’ backcourt. Helping to set the tempo, the swingman scored 13 of his 16 points in the first quarter on 4-for-5 shooting, getting the Sixers off to their fast start.

Oubre made a three-pointer in his lone shot attempt in the second quarter. He missed two attempts in the third quarter before sitting out the fourth. Oubre finished the game with three steals.

“Kelly is a helluva hooper,” Harris said. “He plays with great energy, great activity. He’s so athletic. He can score. He can score at different levels as well from anywhere. He’s done a great job of impacting the game. I think he’s done a great job of impacting the game defensively.”

Oubre is averaging 13.2 points and 1.3 steals this season. However, his best statistic is the Sixers’ 11-2 record with him in the starting lineup.

“He’s so active, versatile as a player,” Harris said. “He’s showing everybody this year [that] being in a winning situation, he can impact winning ball in a great way. So he’s been great.”

Springer received his first extended minutes on Tuesday since playing in a blowout victory over his hometown Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 16. But you would not have known lack of minutes by the spark he provided in a reserve role against the Bulls.

With De’Anthony Melton and Robert Covington sidelined, the third-year guard entered the game with 1:45 left in the first quarter.

Shortly afterward, he grabbed an offensive rebound over Bulls center Andre Drummond and found Danuel House Jr., streaking to the basket for a dunk.

In the second quarter, Springer assisted on a Paul Reed basket and blocked Ayo Dosunmu’s layup attempt.

He finished with four points on 2-for-4 shooting to go with two rebounds — both offensive — along with two assists, one block, and a steal.

» READ MORE: Sixers ride a hot start and Joel Embiid’s triple-double to a blowout win over Chicago

“I feel like that’s my role for this team,” Springer said of providing energy. “We have a bunch of guys that can do a little bit of everything. So I feel like me coming off the bench, the best thing I can do is bring energy and help the team. Give them that burst they need. So go out there, defend, get rebounds, anything. Just try to go out there and help them.”

But Maxey wants to see him do more.

The point guard raved over Springer’s energy. He just got on him about passing up shots.

“He brought great energy,” Maxey said. “That’s what we need, and we need him to shoot the ball when he’s open. That’s all.”