On December 19, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. The Philadelphia 76ers are at home and welcome the challenge of the Chicago Bulls. The game was full of twists and turns, and the suspense lasted until the last moments. The Bulls narrowly beat the 76ers by four points, 108-104, ending their opponent's six-game winning streak.
76ers (18-8): Embiid had 40 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists, Maxey had 29 points and 8 assists, and none of the other players scored in double figures.
Bulls (11-17): Vucevic had 23 points and 8 rebounds, White had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, and 15 points and 5 assists.
In the first quarter, the 76ers started the game with a rapid offense, and under the leadership of Embiid, the 76ers led by 16-4 at 7:12 to reach 12 points. In the final three and a half minutes, the 76ers' offense suddenly went silent, and the Bulls took the opportunity to launch a 15-2 attack wave to successfully overtake the score. At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls led the 76ers by one point, 25-24.
In the second quarter, the 76ers were still weak offensively, and the Bulls scored seven straight points to stretch the gap to eight points. With 5:27 left to go, Pavey flew a rebound and dunked to give the Bulls a 41-31 lead to double digits. Maxey and Embiid chased five straight points as the 76ers closed the gap. But then a three-pointer from White and Pavey put the Bulls back to a double-digit lead. At halftime, the Bulls led the 76ers 55-44.
In the third quarter, the 76ers regained their touch, Batum and Maxey hit three-pointers one after another, and a wave of 10-0 allowed the 76ers to take a 61-59 lead at 7:19. In the second half, the 76ers' offense was dumb again, and the Bulls took the opportunity to open up the gap again, Carter hit a three-pointer, and the Bulls ended the third quarter with an 81-69 advantage.
The 76ers went on a 9-0 run in the final quarter to narrow the deficit to just three points. Maxey scored five straight points to put the 76ers up 89-87 in 6:28. Pawe hit two three-pointers and DeRozan scored a fast-break dunk, and a wave of 8-0 allowed the Bulls to stabilize the situation, and the 76ers called a timeout at 4:58. After the timeout, the 76ers gradually narrowed the difference, and Maxey hit a three-pointer in the final 34 seconds to make it 104-105 with only one point. DeRozan hit one of two free throws, but then Embiid missed a crucial opportunity. DeRozan then hit two free throws to give the Bulls a four-point lead at 108-104, and the game was out of suspense.