LeBron James makes a key adjustment to help Sixers bounce back against Bulls

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls 127-121 on Sunday afternoon at the United Center, improving to 9-2 on the season. PhillyVoice reported that Joel Embiid and LeBron James had struggled badly two nights earlier in Cleveland, with Embiid going 0-for-9 from the field and James shooting 3-for-12 with six turnovers. On Sunday, James found his rhythm as a driver and scored a season-high 22 points, according to Inquirer.com, helping wake up the Sixers after a poor start.

The Sixers' first eight minutes were described by PhillyVoice as their worst stretch of the season, with abominable defense and little focus. They righted the ship largely through rebounding. Bleacher Report noted Philadelphia held a 54-42 advantage on the boards and recorded 30 assists against just nine turnovers. Jabari Walker backed up Embiid with Adem Bona sidelined with a neck injury, playing more than nine minutes in the first half, grabbing four offensive rebounds, and scoring nine points in as many minutes plus four more. PhillyVoice said every one of Walker's second-chance opportunities resulted in a basket.

Joel Embiid led the Sixers on the offensive glass, with several made baskets coming after he rebounded his own misses. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said before the game that getting easy baskets can help a player find a groove, adding, "I do think that kind of leads to some chances to maybe call a set for him or something like that. Yeah, I think it doesn't hurt to try to get an easy basket here and there too to get you going." Nurse also said he would rather VJ Edgecombe grab six or seven rebounds every night than have 11 in one game and two in the next.

Chicago Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter addressed how game-planning against James has evolved, noting that after the Cavaliers hid James Harden on James, Chicago assigned Josh Giddy, a 6-foot-8 guard without much defensive acumen or physicality. PhillyVoice explained the gamble: James rarely hunts his own shots, and his shooting has been hit-or-miss this season, so teams are less afraid to leave him open. James changed that approach on Sunday by playing with real aggression as a downhill driver, particularly in the second quarter.

The Bulls fell to 1-8 and face a seven-game losing streak heading into a Wednesday matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. The Sixers return home to host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, a game Bleacher Report noted should have some spice since Jaylen Brown played for Boston previously.