Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Tyrese Maxey had 27 and LeBron James added 22 as the visiting Philadelphia 76ers defeated the skidding Chicago Bulls 127-121 on Sunday.
Philadelphia held a 33-12 edge in second-chance points and finished plus-12 on the glass as the Bulls lost their seventh game in a row.
Josh Giddey’s layup put the Bulls ahead 42-41 with 8:20 left in the second quarter but the 76ers regained the advantage on a Brown jumper on the ensuing possession and never relinquished it.
Philadelphia won for the sixth time in seven games.
A 6-0 Bulls run, capped by a Giddey floater, brought the Bulls within three with 5:05 to play. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope responded with a trey moments later to help the Sixers keep the Bulls at bay, never allowing them to draw closer.
Giddey had 19 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds for Chicago while Matas Buzelis had 19 points.
Caleb Wilson followed with 18 points while Jalen Smith (17 points), Isaac Okoro (12) and Noa Essengue (10) also scored in double figures.
Joel Embiid posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers. VJ Edgecombe chipped in 13 points.
Smith grabbed eight rebounds and had four of the Bulls’ eight blocks.
Center Nic Claxton returned from an offseason hamstring injury to contribute four points and four rebounds in his Bulls debut.
Philadelphia took a 68-61 lead into the locker room as neither team led by more than 10 points in the first half. The Bulls surged to 23 points in just 5:41, with Smith contributing 10 during the early spurt while Giddey dished seven assists.
Chicago cooled down during the second quarter but built momentum going into the break as Patrick Williams and Wilson each converted steals into dunks in the final 2:04 of the period.
James (16 points) and Maxey (15) led a balanced effort for the Sixers in the first 24 minutes while Smith had 14 for the Bulls.
Philadelphia stretched its winning streak against Chicago to three games while earning at least a split of the four-game season series. The host 76ers topped the Bulls 126-107 on Monday.
–Field Level Media
