Joel Embiid Owns Bulls in Crazy High-Scoring Win (157-137)

The Houston Rockets are going to be kicking themselves after tonight's box score!

How the Chicago Bulls managed to take down that well-rounded and physical team is anyone's guess. They looked completely outmatched against the 76ers tonight, allowing the Joel Embiid and Paul George tandem to build a lead as big as 47 points in their 157-137 victory. The game may not have been completely unwatchable from a Philly perspective, but it sure was for those seeing red.

Joel Embiid Takes Over Early ...

Few players over the last decade have owned the Chicago Bulls as much as Joel Embiid. In fact, the big man started his career with 12 consecutive wins over the franchise. This meant the Bulls went five years without taking down the Philadelphia 76ers superstar, and things haven't been a whole lot better since.

Yes, the Bulls have at least won four of their last seven meetings with Embiid, but he has remained as dominant as ever. We need to look no further than his 31 points on 10-19 shooting the last time these two faced off the day after Christmas. It was only Embiid's 13th game of his injury-riddled season, yet he looked like his vintage disruptive self against Chicago. The same story played itself out tonight.

Embiid has sat out Philly's previous 13 games with an oblique injury. He was upgraded to questionable ahead of tonight's battle, only to get the green light roughly an hour before tip-off. Any signs of rust were nonexistent against Chicago's lackluster defense. He opened the first quarter with a swift 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field. This included draining three shots from behind the arc.

While Embiid would go on to add only a single field goal in the second quarter, he used his elite size to beat up on the Bulls' frontcourt. He went 6-7 from the charity stripe in the frame and brought his first-half total up to 23 points. The fact that the Bulls lost Jalen Smith early due to a calf injury flare-up sure didn't help, but Embiid looked ready to score at will regardless.

Philly would walk into the break up an easy 71-52 primarily because of Embiid's dominance. With VJ Edgecombe also cooking in the backcourt, this game felt all but over heading into the second half.

How Many Points!?

Tanking or not, the Chicago Bulls' third quarter effort was deplorable.

Already down a boatload heading into halftime, Billy Donovan's squad came out looking like a team that was going through the motions. The healthier Philadelphia 76ers were not going to take their foot off the gas. Not only was it Embiid's first game since February, but it was Paul George's return from a 25-game suspension. With plenty of playoff implications on the line, the 76ers weren't going to turn down this easy opportunity to build some momentum.

Cue the third quarter beatdown! Embiid added 12 more points in the frame, while George shot a perfect 4-4 with two steals for his own double-digit scoring quarter. Make no mistake, however, everyone in blue was having the time of their life. The ball was popping around the horn, resulting in 15 assists on 19 made field goals. This matched the number of dimes they had in the entirety of the first half!

Philly would add 51 points in the third on 86.4 percent shooting. In other words, they missed a mere three shots: One in the paint, one in the corner, and one in the mid-range. And, yes, if that sounds like a historically ridiculous amount of points to allow your opponent to score, you'd be correct! This is now the single-most points scored by a Bulls opponent in any quarter ever.

So, how did the Bulls follow up that disgusting achievement? By scoring a franchise high in points in a quarter, of course! The game was entirely out of reach, which is why the 76ers took their foot entirely off the gas. The majority of the starters didn't even see the floor in the quarter, while Dalen Terry and Kyle Lowry got some cardio in. This led to Chicago scoring 53 points in the final 12 minutes. Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller combined for 23 points and the Bulls got to the charity stripe for a 9-12 showing.

As impressive as it should have been, it all came with the team still down 20+. What a weird and dumb basketball game!

A Big Problem (Literally)

While the Chicago Bulls never looked destined to pull this game out, it sure didn't help that they lost both of their biggest options at center.

Jalen Smith was forced to leave the game with a calf injury after only 6 minutes of action. The big man has dealt with the problem on and off for months, and it sure feels as if the Bulls may be ready to shut him down for the season. With so little play for over the next ten games, they might as well start his offseason now and ensure this isn't a concern by next season.

Next up was Nick Richards. The Bulls were forced to yank him from the contest after roughly 9 minutes of action due to an elbow injury. He started the night alongside Smith in the frontcourt and scored just 2 points with 5 rebounds. The severity of his injury is unknown, but it's rarely a good sign when you have to pull the plug early. The Bulls also have a back-to-back coming up this weekend, which is always an obstacle when it comes to injury management.

The undersized Guerschon Yabusele will be the only experienced option at the five if both players are forced to miss additional time. Otherwise, expect to see more of two-way rookie Lachlan Olbrich and potentially some small-ball lineups with Patrick Williams.

Four Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls — Mar 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) reacts after scoring against the Houston Rockets during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Josh Giddey – B+
Stats: 23 PTS, 12 AST, 9 REB

Josh Giddey at least managed to fill up the stat sheet. He was one of the only Bulls to find a rhythm offensively in the first half, and he shot a surprisingly solid 8-13 from the field overall.

Leonard Miller – B-
Stats: 15 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST

Look, a lot of Leonard Miller's damage happened in a meaningless fourth quarter, but you still have to respect his determination to leave a mark. Miller now has 10+ points scored in his last eight outings.

Matas Buzelis – C
Stats: 18 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK

Matas Buzelis didn't find the bottom of the net until the second quarter, and he only took two shots as the 76ers got off to a hot start in the first quarter. Part of his development is going to be asserting himself earlier in games, especially physically. He clearly had a problem doing that tonight against this Philly team, which is also why he likely settled for double-digit attempts from long range.

Patrick Williams – C-
Stats: 10 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST

Having to fill in with both starting big men leaving early, Patrick Williams put up a decent fight and went a solid 4-6 from the field. With that said, he was only 1-4 from the charity stripe.

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