76ers hold off Bulls 126-107 for fourth straight win, move to 7-1

The Philadelphia 76ers did not play a clean game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, but they still won 126-107 at Wells Fargo Center. It was their fourth straight win and moved them to 7-1. Chicago kept it close into the third quarter before Philadelphia pulled away late.

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added 11 assists. The Associated Press reported that 15 of his points came in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe scored 21. LeBron James finished with 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Josh Grieb of Liberty Ballers, SB Nation's Sixers site, wrote that the Sixers let the Bulls "hang around a bit" before closing it out.

The Sixers shared the ball from the start. They assisted on 12 of their 13 made field goals in the first quarter, according to Liberty Ballers, and finished with 36 assists by Sofascore's count. The defense was looser. Chicago scored repeatedly on cuts and at the rim in the second quarter, went on a 14-3 run and briefly took the lead. Rookie Caleb Wilson hit a three at the halftime buzzer that cut Philadelphia's lead to 64-59.

Edgecombe kept running the floor for transition baskets, and the Sixers took an 11-point lead into the fourth. Brown then hit corner threes on back-to-back trips, which forced two Chicago timeouts within about 30 seconds and pushed the lead to 20. Wilson, the fourth pick in the draft, led the Bulls with 24 points. Chicago has now lost five straight and is 1-6.

The Sixers also managed Joel Embiid's minutes. He came in questionable with a foot injury and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. He did not play in the fourth quarter. Liberty Ballers pointed out that Adem Bona had five fouls with more than five minutes left, so Nick Nurse used Dean Wade at center. Jabari Walker did not play. The game also had a lighter moment: in the third quarter, James chased a loose ball into the stands and took a sip of a fan's drink, which was later reported to be wine.

Detroit next

Philadelphia plays at the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, November 4. The Pistons are the only team to beat the Sixers this season. Detroit won 106-93 in Philadelphia, and the Sixers' 93 points that night are still their lowest total of the year. Philadelphia has won all three of its road games, at New York, Indiana and Charlotte, by a combined 20 points. It has won seven of eight overall and holds first place in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid's foot will be the main thing to watch. Wednesday's game comes two days after Monday's, and the Sixers clearly wanted to limit his workload against a weak Chicago team. If he is limited again, Bona's foul trouble matters more. The Sixers will also need better defense against cutters than they played in the first half against Chicago. Their offense, built around Maxey and James creating for everyone else, has been consistent all season.

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