PHILADELPHIA 76ERS DEFEATED CHICAGO BULLS 121-106 MONDAY NIGHT
March 8, 2022
The Philadelphia 76ers extended their win streak over the Chicago Bulls to 11 straight with a 121-106 win on Monday, improving their record to 40-24. They are the eighth team with at least 40 wins this season. This win streak over the Bulls is tied for the longest active team streak over any opponent in the NBA. Milwaukee has also topped Orlando and Sacramento 11 times in a row (Elias Sports Bureau).
It’s the second straight season in which the 76ers have reached 40 wins within their first 64 contests. The last time the team earned 40 wins that quickly in consecutive seasons was in seven straight campaigns from 1979-86 (Stathead).
Since the All-Star break, the team is averaging 118.2 points per contest, which ranks eighth in the NBA, while the team’s 5-1 (.833) record over that span is tied for tops in the league (NBA.com/stats).
Fueling this offensive showing was Philadelphia’s 22nd game with double-figure threes while shooting 40-percent-or-better from deep. In these games, the 76ers boast a record of 19-3, while these 19 victories are the third-most in the NBA (Stathead).
By the final buzzer, five 76ers scored in double digits, led by JOEL EMBIID, who is now a perfect 11-0 against Chicago in his career. He led all scorers with 43 points (15-27 FG, 12-16 FT) to go along with 14 rebounds and three blocks. This marked Embiid’s 10th game this season of at least 40-10, joining Hall of Famer WILT CHAMBERLAIN (18 in 1965-66) as the only 76ers to have double-figure 40-10 games in a single season (Elias Sports Bureau). These 10 such performances are the most by any player this season, and in these games, Philadelphia is 8-2 (Stathead).
Embiid has now scored at least 30 points against Chicago in six of his 11 career matchups with the Bulls, including a career-high-tying 50-point outing on Feb. 19, 2021. He’s posted 20-plus in nine of the 11 meetings and holds averages of 29.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in his career against Chicago (Stathead).
It was Embiid’s ninth career game with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. That’s tied with Hall of Famer BOB MCADOO for the most such performances in the NBA since blocks were first tracked in 1973-74 (Stathead).
Embiid’s strong performance kicked off with a 19-point first half and was followed by a 19-point (7-10 FG, 5-6 FT) third quarter. This outburst in the third frame was the eighth time of his career and the third of this season where he scored at least 19 points (Stathead).
On Monday, Embiid went 12-16 from the foul line, marking his 25th game of at least 10 makes from the foul line, which is nine more than any other player (Stathead).
Along with Embiid, GEORGES NIANG continued his strong shooting from deep, ending the game with 14 points (4-7 3FG, 2-2 FT). This latest performance gives him seven games this season with at least four makes from three-point range, which are the most such games of his career as a reserve (Stathead).
Meanwhile, JAMES HARDEN returned to the lineup and posted a stat line of 16 points, eight rebounds, and 14 assists, marking his fourth double-double in five games with Philadelphia. Since his debut with the 76ers on Feb. 25, Harden has helped lead Philadelphia to a 5-0 record in games he’s played with totals of 123 points and 62 assists, making him one of two players in the association with such totals over that span (NBA.com/stats).
He is also the first player in league history to post such totals within their first five games with a franchise (Elias Sports Bureau/Stathead).
Also joining in on offense was MATISSE THYBULLE, who had an efficient night, finishing with 12 points (4-5 FG). In games where Thybulle scores at least 10 points, Philadelphia is a perfect 8-0 this season (Stathead).
Chicago was led by ZACH LAVINE (24) and DEMAR DEROZAN (23) who combined for 47 of the Bulls’ points on Monday. For LaVine, this marked his sixth straight game with at least 20 points which are tied for his third-longest 20-point streak of the season.
Along with his 23 points, DeRozan added 11 rebounds, marking his fourth point-rebound double-double of the year which is tied for the most he has had in any season of his career (Stathead).
NEXT UP: The 76ers will host the Brooklyn Nets for their fourth and final meeting of the regular season. Heading into the game, Brooklyn leads the season series, 2-1, despite the 76ers winning the most recent matchup on Dec. 30, 110-102. The game will air on television on TNT along with on the radio at 97.5 The Fanatic.