“It’s huge when your best player really wants to win that bad, and is willing to go up there and sacrifice a knee to the groin or elbow to the face and make a winning play,” Niang said. It looked as though the Bulls would have a chance to get closer when Embiid was called for a foul on DeRozan, but officials reversed it after a replay review. Lonzo Ball’s 3 with a minute left and DeRozan’s baseline jumper pulled them to 100-98 with 29.9 seconds left. The Bulls, who came back from a 19-point second-half margin in Monday’s 128-114 win at Boston, didn’t go away, though. Although he missed the chance to convert a three-point play, Embiid made a pair from the stripe the next time down and the 76ers were comfortably up 98-89 on Tyrese Maxey’s layup with 4:11 left. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)īut the Bulls went cold from that point, going 0 for 5 with a pair of turnovers until Alex Caruso’s dunk with 2:54 left trimmed Philadelphia’s lead to 98-91.Įmbiid helped the Sixers build that advantage, scoring on a putback that made it 94-89 with five minutes left. Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (21) blocks a shot by Chicago Bulls' DeMar DeRozan (11) during the final minute of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. “Their defense got into us,” Rivers said. “Give Curry credit.”Ĭhicago, which trailed by 15 in the second half, erased its 12-point deficit to start the fourth quarter when DeRozan drained a 16-footer to tie it at 87 with 6:40 to play, as Philadelphia missed nine of 10 shots to begin the final period. “I thought we did a pretty good job,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “Once he gets open with Joel coming (to screen), it’s a tough cover,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. Zach LaVine scored 27 for the Bulls, who nearly came back from a double-digit deficit in the second half for the second straight game.Ĭurry hit a tough elbow jumper with 10.7 seconds left to put the 76ers ahead 102-98. In addition to Ben Simmons (personal reasons), who has missed all eight games, Philadelphia was without starters Tobias Harris (health and safety protocols) and Danny Green (hamstring).ĭeMar DeRozan tied a season high with 37 points for Chicago and grabbed 10 rebounds.