Joel Embiid scored 25 points to lead six players in double figures and James Harden registered a double-double of 15 points and 11 assists to boost the visiting Philadelphia 76ers to a 114-109 victory against the Chicago Bulls Saturday night.
Philadelphia extended its series winning streak to 12 games, including six in a row at United Center. The 76ers prevailed despite committing a season-high 17 turnovers.
DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points to pace a balanced attack for the Bulls, who have lost two straight. Zach LaVine scored 15 of his 29 points after halftime, while Nikola Vucevic had a double-double of 23 points and a game-high 19 rebounds.
Chicago overcame a sluggish start to lead in the closing minutes, but was unable to hold off Philadelphia. Embiid swished a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds left, moments after missing a pair of free throws.
The Bulls’ Alex Caruso missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds to play. Chicago had zero field goals after a Vucevic jumper gave the team a 107-105 edge with 4:14 left.
Georges Niang added 15 points for Philadelphia, while Tyrese Maxey (14), Tobias Harris (13) and D’Anthony Melton (10) followed.
Embiid grabbed seven rebounds to go with four assists.
Philadelphia led by as many as 19 points in the first half but led 64-56 at the break.
After shooting 37 percent in the first quarter, the Bulls were 48% from the floor in the second quarter while effectively attacking the paint. The Bulls converted 17-of-19 free throws in the first 24 minutes compared to 6-for-7 for Philadelphia.
Chicago benefited from foul trouble against Embiid and Maxey, who played a combined 19 minutes in the first half. The Bulls’ surge continued into the third quarter as the team grabbed a 74-72 advantage on a DeRozan jumper with 6:46 to go in the third.
The Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu and Andre Drummond missed the game with injuries. The Philadelphia bench outscored Chicago’s 39-24.
–Field Level Media