Eagles

The Sixers are Really Nasty in Transition

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Nov 3rd, 2026 · 9:49 AM EST

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Sixers 126, Bulls 107.

First blowout of the season to improve to 7-1 with all five starters in double digits.

There was a lot to like about this game.

They tossed 36 assists on 48 baskets. They outrebounded the Bulls 47 to 42 and grabbed 13 from the offensive glass. They stole the ball 7 times to go along with 5 blocks.

The combination of rebounding and defensive stops allowed them to get out in transition, where they absolutely killed Chicago:

LeBron James drops a dime to Tyrese Maxey for the slam dunk 💪 pic.twitter.com/oYNKwcqR6K

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 3, 2026

Not the most amazing defense on that possession, but Josh Giddey is a 27% three-point shooter this year and he clanks one off the back iron. V.J. Edgecombe takes off as soon as he sees LeBron grab the rebound and Tyrese Maxey is hauling ass to create a 3v2. Norman Powell is back, but he has to account for Edgecombe in the corner and Maxey just slides right in for a dunk:

It’s a numbers game. Same thing in every team sport, where you try to build overloads and/or scheme up advantages. Chicago has two guys in transition to defend three Sixers and you know that LeBron is going to pick out the right pass every time.

The Sixers had 31 fast break points in this game, which mades up 24.6% of their output on the entire night.

Through eight games, they now have 134 fast break points, which is tied for fourth most in the league with New Orleans and Memphis. They’re scoring 16.8 fast break points per game (10th) and 15.1% of their points in transition, which is 8th. The numbers would/should probably be higher if not for the fact that they’ve played a handful of tight, grind-it-out games already against the Knicks, Cavs, and Pistons. Even the Indy and Charlotte games were tight. A good stat to highlight this is the Sixers’ 99.7 PACE, which is tied for 13th in the league. You’d think they’re playing a faster game with more possessions based on these transition opportunities, but they only sit in the middle of the NBA pack.

Now, if you break it out individually:

• Tyrese Maxey: 42 fast break points (2nd)
• LeBron James and V.J. Edgecombe: 24 fast break points (tied for 19th)
• Jaylen Brown: 20 fast break points (tied 34th)

If you boil it down to a nice, shareable stat, three of the five Sixers starters are currently inside the top 25 for individual fast break points.

It’s been really fun to watch, this defense to offense. They look unstoppable when they get out and move. Things will slow down in the playoffs, when it becomes a half court rock fight, but they have more than 70 games to work on that. These transition opportunities are already being converted at the highest level.