Sixers beat Bulls to take top spot in Eastern Conference

The Philadelphia 76ers moved to the top of the Eastern Conference standings Monday night after defeating the Chicago Bulls 126-107 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The win extends their season record to 7-1 and places them in first position for the start of the Tuesday morning.

Every member of the starting lineup finished with double-digit scoring. Tyrese Maxey led the team with 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting and added 11 assists. Jaylen Brown posted a season high with 25 points and 11 rebounds. VJ Edgecombe set a new personal best with 21 points, while LeBron James contributed 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Joel Embiid recorded 15 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

Embiid was listed as questionable with a right foot plantar fascia injury management designation. He missed Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets due to the condition. Head coach Nick Nurse described the injury as a pain management situation that comes and goes. "It's very painful, if you've ever had it," Nurse told reporters before the game. "So we're just trying to manage the pain with that, be as smart as we can."

The Sixers started the game with a fast pace. Maxey stole a pass from Matas Buzelis to initiate a transition play that ended with a James layup. Edgecombe followed with a slam to extend the early lead. The team scored six points on fast breaks in the opening minutes, forcing the Bulls to call a timeout. Edgecombe finished the first quarter with 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting.

Adem Bona played the starting center role for the second half but struggled. He missed an early dunk and the Bulls cut the deficit to two points after a three-pointer by Jalen Smith. Chicago took a 40-38 lead when former Sixer Buddy Hield hit a three. The Sixers regained control late in the second quarter, building a 60-52 lead with strong passing from Maxey and James. The two combined for 14 assists and only three turnovers in the first half.

The Sixers increased their lead to 17 points in the third quarter following a fadeaway jumper from Embiid and two layups by James. The Bulls trimmed the gap to 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter. Bona fouled out, and Dean Wade started at center for the final period. Embiid sat out the remainder of the game. The Bulls shot 27 percent from three-point range and fell to a 1-6 record.

Nurse said center Dominick Barlow will see a specialist on Tuesday regarding a back injury that has kept him sidelined since the start of the season. "I think they want to get to tomorrow's appointment," Nurse said. "Hopefully, it'll be positive and we can get into his workouts a little bit."

The Sixers begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday with a visit to the Detroit Pistons. The team will start the day ranked first in the Eastern Conference.