Tyrese Maxey torched the Toronto Raptors for a career-best 44 points on Friday to help the Philadelphia 76ers earn a victory.
As Maxey shoots for an encore when the 76ers visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the formula for success seems clear: Get strong ball movement and good buy-in on defense and go from there.
Philadelphia, which split its two-game trip to Toronto to open a four-game road swing, needed the jolt.
The 76ers were without star Joel Embiid (right knee soreness), last year’s NBA scoring champion who has averaged 27.6 points and 10 rebounds through his first five games.
De’Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris chipped in 13 points apiece, while James Harden added 11 on a night when Philadelphia never trailed.
Chicago is coming off a 129-124 road loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, a game that featured a notable individual milestone if not overall team success.
Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan had 33 points against his former team to become the 50th player in league history to reach 20,000 points for his career. He enjoyed an embrace with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after securing his place in history.
Chicago guard Zach LaVine (injury management) missed the game as the team assesses him following offseason surgery on his left knee.
The Bulls fell into an early 14-point hole but rallied and held the lead for large portions of the second, third and fourth quarters before falling short down the stretch.
The Bulls are seeking to end an 11-game losing streak against the 76ers, whose recent dominance in the series includes five straight wins in Chicago.
