Coby White fuels fourth-quarter push as Bulls beat 76ers
Coby White scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Zach Collins and Tre Jones had 15 points apiece to lift the streaking Chicago Bulls to a 109-102 victory against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Chicago won for the fifth straight time behind a 13-2 run to finish the game.
Joel Embiid (31 points), Tyrese Maxey (27) and Paul George (15) kept Philadelphia afloat before the team faded down the stretch. The 76ers shot 23.8% in the fourth quarter and 37.6% for the game.
White's driving layup tied the game at 96 with 5:11 to go, and his stepback 3-pointer put Chicago ahead 104-102 with 1:54 remaining.
Josh Giddey posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 assists for the Bulls. Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith grabbed eight rebounds apiece to help Chicago finish plus-six on the glass. Smith scored 12 points and Buzelis chipped in 10.
VJ Edgecombe scored 10 points for Philadelphia. George had 12 rebounds for a double-double while Maxey dished eight assists.
After Buzelis drilled a 3-pointer on the first possession of the third quarter, the 76ers responded with long-range prowess of their own, with Embiid and Maxey drilling 3s during a quick 8-0 run.
That kicked off a back-and-forth quarter in which the teams shot a combined 21-for-41, including 13-for-23 from 3-point range. Embiid scored 11 points in the third to help Philadelphia take an 85-81 advantage, but he left the game in the final minute of the quarter.
Embiid was questionable entering the game due to right knee injury management. He returned to the floor midway through the fourth.
Philadelphia scored 13 of the game's first 15 points in the opening 3:26, outhustling Chicago to loose balls and pushing the ball down the floor.
A hot streak from long range brought the Bulls to life soon after, though, as Nikola Vucevic, Buzelis and Giddey connected for treys over a three-possession span as part of a 12-2 run that got Chicago back in the game.
The 76ers took a 52-49 lead into intermission after both trailing and leading by 11 points before the break. Embiid paced all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Maxey followed with 12 points. Collins contributed 10 points to lead Chicago.
The Bulls clinched the season series with Philadelphia.