What happens when the team that plays with the fastest pace in the NBA goes against the team that plays with the second-slowest?
Sunday offered an answer to that question.
The Bulls have gone from 28th in the league in pace last season to first this season, thanks to a rebuilt offense that focuses on playing fast and shooting three-pointers in an effort to maximize the talent of their personnel.
The 76ers, meanwhile, have struggled to succeed with an injury-plagued roster. Before the game, all coach Nick Nurse could muster when he was asked about how to slow the Bulls down was, ‘‘You’ve gotta run back really fast.’’
Turns out the 76ers didn’t have an issue keeping up with the Bulls, thanks to center Joel Embiid, who exposed what has been their Achilles heel all season: physicality in the paint. He finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds in the 76ers’ 108-100 victory.
Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic, meanwhile, was rendered largely ineffective, finishing with only 13 points and taking only seven shots from the field.
‘‘One area that’s gotta be a major focus for us going into these four days [off] is we’ve gotta be able to post-feed better,’’ Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘[Vucevic] could have had a much better offensive night.’’
Sunday was the Bulls’ second consecutive game in which they shot 50 or more three-pointers. That isn’t necessarily an issue for a team that leads the NBA in pace, but the Bulls must find a way to combine their high volume of three-point shooting with getting Vucevic his inside touches.
‘‘There was way too many passes deflected, tipped away,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘We’ve got to find him, and we’ve done a pretty good job of that. But I think that’s the versatility of ‘Vooch.’ It’s OK if he’s not necessarily getting threes. He can do other things, finding the ball in the pocket. I thought he had some opportunities to shoot the basketball, but he’s so unselfish he moved it. We’ve got to be better at executing passes to him.’’
Donovan said he has been pleased with the Bulls’ shot selection from behind the arc. They’re averaging 43.5 three-point tries and converting 38.4%. What has impressed him most is their ability to generate uncontested threes.
Against the 76ers, however, they shot 19-for-54 from three-point range (35.2%).
‘‘We didn’t shoot the ball well,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I thought it started slipping from us in the first half. I give the guys a lot of credit coming out of the half. Even though we struggled offensively to shoot the ball, we gave ourselves a chance.’’
The 76ers outscored the Bulls 54-30 in the paint and outrebounded them 56-35. Embiid’s presence was the difference. He missed his first seven shots from the field before going on an 8-for-11 tear to close the first half, helping give his team a 62-50 lead at the break.
Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis earned significant minutes in the second half, playing a 15-minute stint spanning the third and fourth quarters.
‘‘It surprised me a little, but I’m always ready for the opportunity,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘I’m always ready to compete. I was fine today; I just missed some shots. Defensively, I was really solid. Got in transition for our guys and rebounded well. That stretch was pretty good to me, but I’ll rewatch the film.’’
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 30 points on 10-for-21 shooting from the field, including 6-for-14 from three. Coby White joined Vucevic with 13 points, and Lonzo Ball finished with three points and two assists after his minutes were raised from a hard cap of 18 to 20.
