Embiid carries 76ers past DeRozan, Bulls in East showdown

Embiid carries 76ers past DeRozan, Bulls in East showdown

Embiid carries 76ers past DeRozan, Bulls in East showdown
NBA

Embiid carries 76ers past DeRozan, Bulls in East showdown

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Joel Embiid dominated with 40 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame DeMar DeRozan’s season-high, 45-point game for Chicago to beat the Bulls 119-108 on Sunday.

The 76ers won the matchup between two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams after letting a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter shrink to four.

They hung on down the stretch to beat the Bulls for the 10th straight time. They also knocked Chicago a half-game behind first-place Miami and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the idle Heat. With the 76ers’ victory, Miami clinched the best record in the East through Sunday, sending Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff to the All-Star Game in Cleveland to coach Team Durant.

Embiid simply did what he wanted, hitting 14 of 23 shots.

Tobias Harris added 23 points, and Tyrese Maxey had 16, helping the Sixers shake off losses against Washington and Dallas to win for the sixth time in eight games.

DeRozan finished seven points shy of his career high. The All-Star carried Chicago with Zach LaVine (back spasms) and guard Coby White (strained right adductor) sidelined.