The Philadelphia 76ers have shown they can survive without Joel Embiid.
The Sixers won for the second straight game without the reigning Most Valuable Player in a 131-127 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Embiid will be sidelined again for the second leg of a back-to-back against the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday night with a sprained right ankle as the Sixers will look for their third consecutive victory.
Embiid is averaging a league-best 35.0 points per game and is fifth in rebounding (11.7).
Without Embiid, Tyrese Maxey led the way against the Rockets with 42 points — 13-of-26 shooting from the field and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line. Tobias Harris added 22 points, De’Anthony Melton had 15, and Marcus Morris Sr. came off the bench to produce 14.
Morris scored 10 of his 14 in the fourth quarter.
Maxey played 41 minutes and anchored the Sixers, who desperately needed that production without Embiid.
The Bulls will look to rebound following a 120-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. Patrick Williams led the Bulls with 22 points while DeMar DeRozan added 21.
Because the Bulls have dealt with a litany of injuries this season, DeRozan’s workload has increased. The 34-year-old has played more than 40 minutes in six games this month.
The Bulls fell behind early and weren’t able to recover despite the strong performances by Williams and DeRozan.
Without Craig, Vucevic and LaVine, the 15-year veteran DeRozan will be counted on even more than usual.
