76ers Starters All Score in Double Figures as Philadelphia Beats Bulls, Moves to 7-1

The Philadelphia 76ers finally had their full starting five on the floor together Monday night, and every one of them scored in double figures in a 126-107 win over the Chicago Bulls. It was Philadelphia's fourth straight win, and it moves the Eastern Conference leaders to 7-1.

According to the Associated Press, the lineup of LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe had sat out the weekend back-to-back against the Knicks and the Hornets. Embiid came into the game questionable with a foot injury. He played, finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds, and he did not return in the fourth quarter. Erin Grugan of SB Nation's Liberty Ballers reported that Dominick Barlow (back) was the only other absence besides Ariel Hukporti, who is out for the season.

Maxey led everyone with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He also had 11 assists, two steals and two blocks, and he scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter. Brown had 25 points and 11 rebounds, five of them offensive, and went 4-of-7 from three. Two of those threes came back to back late in the game and ended any thought of a Chicago comeback. Edgecombe scored 21 on 9-of-12 shooting. He made all seven of his shots in the first half, mostly by running the floor in transition, where James found him more than once with bounce passes that went nearly the length of the court. James had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

The win took longer to secure than it should have against a team that came in 1-5. Philadelphia led only 64-59 at halftime after Chicago shot 60 percent in the second quarter, per Sofascore. The lead was 11 going into the fourth, and the Sixers didn't get it to 20 until about two minutes remained. That meant the starters played more than Grugan would have liked, and she wrote that it "can never be too easy." Philadelphia finished with 36 assists and led for 43 minutes and 31 seconds. Rookie Caleb Wilson scored 24 for the Bulls, who have lost five in a row, and Norman Powell added 18.

What it means for Detroit

Next up is a three-game road trip that opens Wednesday, November 4, against the Pistons. Detroit has the only win over Philadelphia this season so far, a 106-93 decision in Philadelphia. That game came in the middle of a stretch in which the Sixers otherwise beat Milwaukee, Cleveland and the Knicks twice.

Philadelphia has been winning close games since then. The wins at Indiana, against New York and at Charlotte came by five points each, so the 19-point margin over Chicago was the team's most comfortable result in weeks. The 93 points the Sixers scored against Detroit are still their lowest total of the season. The question for Wednesday is whether the offense that produced 36 assists against the Bulls can work against a defense that has already shut it down once.

The main thing to watch before tipoff is Embiid's foot. He was questionable before Monday's game, and Wednesday is the first of three road games. Whether the full starting group plays again in Detroit will tell a lot about how much the Sixers' strong start depends on keeping that group healthy.