Joel Embiid's Dominance Leads Sixers Past Bulls for a Regular Season Sweep

Coming off of a rough night in South Beach this past Saturday night, the Philadelphia 76ers looked to bounce back on Monday. With the Chicago Bulls in town, the Sixers wrapped up their four-game regular-season series against Chicago with a bang.

After missing James Harden on Saturday as the star guard received a rest night, the Sixers got him back in the lineup. Following a rough shooting night, Harden’s presence and production gave the Sixers a lift right out of the gate.

In his first ten minutes on the court, Harden knocked down two shots and four field goals for nine points. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid led the way with 11 points in 11 minutes. Through the first quarter of action, Harden and Embiid got the Sixers off to a 37-32 lead.

The second quarter wasn’t as successful for Philadelphia. Outside of Embiid’s eight points on offense, the Sixers struggled from the field as they shot just 38-percent and missed all four of their threes. Fortunately for Philly, Chicago was in a similar boat as they went 34-percent from the field and 0-7 from beyond the arc.

Going into halftime, the Sixers were up 59-53. Considering they’ve gotten off to slow starts and trailed going into the half over the last three games, their lead through two quarters on Monday night was a positive sign for what was left to come.

Turning It Around

Lately, Sixers star center Joel Embiid hasn’t been feeling like himself. While he’s still been one of Philadelphia’s most significant players since returning from the break, the big man hinted he hasn’t been happy with his performances lately after Monday’s game.

His will to be better was evident in the second half on Monday. As he checked in for the entire third quarter, Embiid dominated the Bulls as he drained 70-percent of his shots and made all but one of his six free throws. He wrapped up the third quarter with 19 points.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers led the Bulls 88-77. Embiid was well on his way to having another 40-point performance this year. Sure enough, he got it. Not only did Embiid collect five points to pick up a 43-point double-double on Monday, but Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey came alive and produced 13 fourth-quarter points after having just four points through three quarters.

After outscoring the Bulls 33-29 in the final quarter of the outing, the Sixers defeated the Bulls 121-106. Not only was Monday’s victory the Sixers’ 40th win of the year, but it was also the fourth time the Sixers defeated Chicago this year. They’ve now won 11-straight games against the Bulls. The last time Philly fell short to Chicago was back in March of 2019.

While the Bulls looked to end the streak on Monday -- they’ll have to wait until next season to put a stop to the Sixers’ regular-season dominance over them. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.