Another Philadelphia-Chicago matchup, another Bulls loss. The Bulls have played the Philadelphia 76ers four times this year. They have lost each time. Joel Embiid is now 11-0 against the Bulls in his career and James Harden is 5-0 when he wears a Sixer uniform.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls in scoring with 26 points but struggled overall from the field, shooting just 9-20. DeMar DeRozan also struggled from the floor, shooting just 6-17 and finishing with 23 points.
MVP favorite Joel Embiid led all players with 43 points. He also hauled in 14 boards. It was Embiid’s third straight 30-plus point game against the Bulls.
Nikola Vucevic missed this one, but Chicago fared well on the boards, outrebounding Philadelphia 57 to 47.
In fact, the Bulls started off the game well as they led for much of the first quarter. DeRozan was hot out of the gate, scoring 11 points in the opening quarter.
But back-to-back three-point makes by Georges Niang gave the Sixers the lead with 1:40 remaining, one they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Sixers Storm Out of Halftime Gates
The Bulls were only down six points at halftime, but Philadelphia came out red-hot in the second half. After staying close for a few minutes, the Sixers went on a 10-0 run, mainly led by Joel Embiid, that extended their lead to 17 points.
Chicago continued to claw back, cutting the lead to single digits multiple times throughout the second half. However, anytime the Bulls did get within striking distance, the Sixers would hit a big shot.
The loss extends the Bulls’ overall losing streak against the 76ers to 11 games. It also lengthens their current losing streak to five games, the longest of the season thus far.
What’s On Tap Next?
The Bulls (39-26) head to Detroit to face the Pistons, who are just 18-47 but also winners of three straight games. A loss would extend Chicago’s already season-high losing streak to six games.
Tip-off is at 6:00 PM CT on Wednesday night. As always, you can catch the game on NBC Sports Chicago and get all your Bulls news and coverage at Bulls On Tap.
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