JJ Redick made four 3-pointers while scoring 23 points to help the Philadelphia 76ers post a 116-96 victory over the host Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Joel Embiid recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots as the 76ers (50-30) reached the 50-win mark for the second straight season.
Philadelphia also moved two games ahead of the Boston Celtics with two games to play in the battle for the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed. The Celtics hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Tobias Harris scored 16 points, Ben Simmons added 14, Jonah Bolden had 11 and Boban Marjanovic tallied 10 for the 76ers. Philadelphia hit 52.3 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 9 of 27 from beyond the 3-point arc.
JaKarr Sampson scored a career-best 29 points for the Bulls, who lost for the sixth time in the past seven games. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 14 points.
Embiid (knee or rest) had missed 12 of the previous 21 games. He has registered a double-double in each of his past 20 appearances.
Philadelphia small forward Jimmy Butler (back) sat out for the third time in the past four games.
Chicago (22-58) was without shooting guard Zach LaVine (thigh) for the eighth straight game, small forward Otto Porter Jr. (shoulder) for the ninth consecutive contest and point guard Kris Dunn (back) for the sixth straight game. In addition, power forward Lauri Markkanen (exhaustion) was recently declared out for the season.
The Bulls shot 42.7 percent from the field, including 8 of 25 from 3-point range.
Philadelphia held a 54-38 rebounding edge.
The 76ers led by eight at halftime and doubled the margin over the first six minutes of the third quarter. T.J. McConnell knocked down the jumper that gave Philadelphia a 74-58 advantage with 6:04 left in the period.
Harris scored on the inside to push the margin to 20 for the first time at 80-60 with 2:54 remaining, and the Bulls never again threatened.
Embiid had 14 points and eight rebounds in the first half to help the 76ers take a 57-49 lead.
The Bulls led 39-38 after Luwawu-Cabarrot's 3-pointer with 6:49 to play in the second quarter before Philadelphia scored 19 of the next 27 points. Redick capped the spurt with a four-point play to give the 76ers a 10-point advantage with 52 seconds left.
--Field Level Media
Philadelphia | Chicago | |
JJ Redick 23 | Scoring | JaKarr Sampson 29 |
Joel Embiid 5 | Assists | Walter Lemon Jr. 5 |
Joel Embiid 10 | Rebounds | Walter Lemon Jr. 8 |
Tobias Harris 4 | Free Throws Made | JaKarr Sampson 6 |
Ben Simmons 2 | Steals | Walter Lemon Jr. 2 |
Joel Embiid 3 | Blocks | JaKarr Sampson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Philadelphia | 116 | 52.3 | 9-27 | 15-26 | 25 | 54 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Chicago | 96 | 42.7 | 8-25 | 12-15 | 22 | 38 | 3 | 4 | 8 |