A week ago, the script for the start of the second half of the season read more like a horror movie.
Lurking in the paint of the United Center would be a 7-foot monster who singled handedly slashed up the smallish Bulls less than three weeks ago, as Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid put up 50 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 76ers win.
And he was expected to bring a plus-one in the Thursday rematch, with fellow All-Star Ben Simmons in the mix. The Bulls didn’t have to even game-plan for Simmons back in February, thanks to the guard dealing with a bad calf.