Generally, a game like the one the Philadelphia Sixers just won over the Chicago Bulls in Philadelphia on Sunday would be labeled a defensive struggle.

In this case, that would be a euphemism for two offenses struggling and thus making the defenses look good.

One way or the other, the Sixers survived with an ugly 89-82 win over a Bulls team missing injured starters Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Carlos Boozer (23 points, 11 rebounds) and C.J. Watson (17 points, four assists) did their best to carry Chicago to the win, but it simply wasn't enough.

With Rose and Noah, perhaps it would have been—the Sixers shot an ugly 5-19 from beyond the arc (26.3 percent) and only 39.2 percent from the field in general.

The Sixers now head into Game 5 with a stranglehold on this series, leading 3-1. The situation looks bleak for the East's top-seeded team.

 

Twitter Reaction

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The crowd certainly seemed sparse for a playoff game early on, but it wasn't for a lack of interest by the Philly faithful. Rather, a scheduling conflict in the city caused some early headaches as Darren Rovell noted.

 

Questlove, drummer of The Roots and Philly native, couldn't believe the Sixers had a chance to go up 3-1 in the series.

 

Sports Pickle didn't think very highly of this game's quality of play. It's hard to disagree—and not laugh—at this clever tweet.

 

Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal put this win, and the possibility of a Sixers series win, into perspective.

 

And finally, Jen Lada of Fox 6 and ESPN 540 relayed the sad fate I'm sure most Bulls' fans are slowly accepting.

 

Game Highlights

In the mood for some sick dunks?

Andre Iguodala has you covered.

 

Grades for Key Sixers' Players

Spencer Hawes: He remained hot after his excellent Game 3 (21 points, nine rebounds), finishing with 22 points on 9-11 shooting from the field and eight rebounds.

Grade: A

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Evan Turner: Not his finest effort. Turner only finished 3-12 with nine points and lost his cool a bit in the fourth quarter, committing two fouls in quick succession and finding his way on the bench with five fouls. He's been excellent in the series thus far, but this was not his day.

Grade: D

 

Grades for Key Bulls' Players

Carlos Boozer: He has to be the man now without Rose or Noah, and he gave a valiant effort on Sunday, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds. But he also had a killer turnover late in the game, and didn't do enough late to come away with the win.

Grade: B

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Luol Deng: The Bulls need Deng to fill a role as a primary scorer in the absence of Rose, and in Game 4 he failed to do so. Deng finished with 11 points on 5-14 shooting and five rebounds, and wasn't really a factor throughout. If Chicago hopes to somehow survive this series, Deng will have to be better.

Grade: F

 

Game MVP: Jrue Holiday

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Jrue Holiday overcame an less-than-stellar effort from the field (7-23, including a 2-7 effort from beyond the arc) to finish with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. His ability to do a little bit of everything is why he remains the key to this team's success moving forward.

If the Sixers are going to close out the Bulls—and do anything beyond that assuming they do—it will be because Holiday leads them there.

Without Rose and Noah, the Bulls can't win this series.

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What's Next?

Game 5 is in Chicago on Tuesday evening. Don't be surprised if it ends up as a very painful end to a promising season for the Bulls and their fans.

 

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