Joel Embiid returned from a seven-game absence to provide 31 points and 12 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the host Chicago Bulls for a 108-100 win on Sunday, December 8 (Monday, December 9, Manila time).
Embiid carried Philadelphia to its fourth win in five games after sitting out to manage a left knee injury. Tyrese Maxey backed the big man with his first career triple-double, collecting 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists.
Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in 12 points apiece for the 76ers, who outshot Chicago 46.7% to 40.7% from the field.
Zach LaVine racked up 30 points and the Bulls sank 19 threes, but they still couldn’t avoid their second straight loss. Nikola Vucevic and Coby White each finished with 13 points, with Vucevic also snatching 8 boards.
After facing a 19-point deficit just over four minutes into the second half, the Bulls came to life at the end of the third. They closed the frame on an 8-0 run, with Jalen Smith canning a three-pointer at the buzzer to get Chicago within 88-79 heading into the fourth.
The Bulls trailed by only 4 after LaVine connected on a trey with 5:24 left in the game to make it 96-92, but that was the closest the hosts would get.
LaVine put up 10 points to lift Chicago to a 33-23 lead after 12 minutes of action.
Embiid completely took over in the second quarter, though, erupting for 19 points in the frame. Fifteen of those came during Philadelphia’s 24-6 run to start the period, and the 76ers led by as many as 14 before taking a 62-50 advantage into the break.
The Bulls made little headway following intermission, getting their deficit down to 11 at 65-54, thanks to a floater and a pair of free throws from Vucevic in the first 1:34 of the third.
Embiid converted a three-point play to spark a 14-6 outburst that put Philadelphia up 79-60 with 7:44 remaining in the third. – Rappler.com