Chicago Bulls (106) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (121) – Results

The Philadelphia 76ers smile when Joel Embiid and James Harden play together. The Sixers’ star duo has won all five games they’ve played together so far and on Monday defeated the free-falling Chicago Bulls who have lost for the fifth time in a row, 121-106.

Since Harden’s arrival, everything seems to be going great in Philly. The Sixers become the third team in the NBA Eastern Conference to reach 40 wins and, currently with their 40 wins and 24 losses, they remain in second place in the table, just 3 games behind the Heat, while Chicago continues to lose games and, right now, is fourth in the standings with 39 wins and 26 losses, with the Celtics hot on its heels.

Currently, the Bulls’ trajectory against the big teams is worrying. Every time they face a team that is going to be a protagonist in the postseason, they lose. And they now accumulate 5 defeats in their last 5 games.

Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, one of the most reliable and consistent stars in the NBA this season, ignited the Bulls with a lot of confidence on the floor in the opening minutes of the game. For the Sixers, Joel Embiid was in charge of standing up to DeRozan, but the Sixers’ four triples in a row, led by Georges Niang, James Harden, and Danny Green, were decisive, creating the Sixers’ advantage, after the first quarter, to end the first quarter with a score of 37-32.

First Quarters

Embiid managed to score 19 points in the first half of the game and it was a continuous headache for a very sad Bulls in the 3-point shot, which managed to score only 3 in 12 attempts and the Sixers went to the locker room with the feeling that they were ahead without even stepping on the accelerator fully (59-53).

Last Two Quarters

The third quarter was a real give and take, both teams taking advantage of the mistakes of their rivals and, above all, the Bulls, who took advantage of playing with a low quintet, to end the third quarter with a score of 88-77 with an advantage for the Sixers.

The Bulls stuck to the plan of playing a short quintet, using DeRozan as their tallest player at center, and came close in the game with a score of 90-83. Finally, Tyrese Maxey scored 13 points in the fourth quarter for the Sixers to seal the victory of his team and keep them in second place in the Eastern Conference.