LeBron James sips a fan's wine as 76ers roll past Bulls to 7-1

LeBron James went into the crowd chasing a loose ball on Monday night and came back with a story. Late in the third quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers' 126-107 win over the Chicago Bulls, with the Sixers up 11, James ran into a fan holding a cup of red wine, spilled some of it, and then took a sip, ESPN reported.

The fan was Troy Clemons, a longtime Sixers season-ticket holder and Philadelphia native. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the play started with a transition pass from Tyrese Maxey that James couldn't quite reach, and his momentum carried him past the baseline and into the seats. Clemons told ESPN he wasn't bothered about the spill and was simply glad James was in Philadelphia. James has long said he drinks a glass of wine a day and credits it in part for how long he has lasted. After the game he joked that he had wanted to find out whether the wine was worth wearing on his arm, and decided "it was all right."

The sip got the attention, but it was one part of a loose, productive night. James finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, and ESPN described him dancing after an and-one that left Maxey laughing, then dancing again with Maxey after the guard finished an and-one of his own. James told reporters that finding ways to enjoy a long season matters more at this stage of his career. Yahoo Sports noted that Tuesday is an off day before Philadelphia plays again.

The win also says something about where the Sixers stand. Philadelphia is 7-1, and the 19-point win over Chicago was its biggest of the season. Its other six wins all came by 11 points or fewer, four of them by five or six.

What it means for Detroit

Next up is Wednesday night at the Detroit Pistons, on ESPN, and the opponent matters. Detroit is the only team to beat Philadelphia this season, winning 106-93 in Philadelphia. Those 93 points are still the Sixers' lowest total of the year, and it was the only game in which they failed to reach 98.

Philadelphia has won four straight since that loss: at Indiana 114-109, at home against New York 98-93, at Charlotte 109-104, and Monday's rout of Chicago. The Sixers are 3-0 on the road, with wins at New York, Indiana and Charlotte, and 4-1 at home. Across eight games they have scored about 110.9 points a game and allowed about 105.1, a margin of nearly six points a night.

The Pistons game is the first real check on whether the streak holds up against the team that slowed this offense down. The Sixers have won close games on the road all season. Their only loss came when they couldn't score, and that's what Wednesday will test. Team news and the season log are on our Philadelphia 76ers page.