Maxey pulls the strings as Sixers see off Bulls 126-107

Philadelphia beat Chicago 126-107 on Monday 2 November 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, in front of 21,309 fans. Tyrese Maxey led the attack with 26 points and 11 assists, Jaylen Brown added 25 points and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers built their win through a series of surges. Chicago stayed with them for a half and even led by four points in the second quarter, before watching the gap grow to 22 points in the closing minutes.

The result lifts Philadelphia to 7 wins and 1 defeat and to top spot in the Eastern Conference in the 3 November standings. Chicago drop to 1-6 and sit 15th in the East. Before the game, Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti on the Philadelphia side, and Nicolas Claxton on the Chicago side, were listed as out in the latest provisional injury report. Joel Embiid was listed as questionable with a foot injury; he ended up playing 25 minutes. James, Brown, Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe are also said to have missed Philadelphia's previous two games, won against New York and then at Charlotte.

Chicago hang in before the break

Philadelphia jumped in front early with a 7-0 run, from 3-3 to 10-3, then another 7-0 run, from 15-13 to 22-13. Midway through the first quarter, the hosts' lead was still only one point, 12-11. It then widened to 30-23 by the end of the period, without Chicago letting the game get away.

The Bulls won the second quarter 36-34. They went in front at 43-41, then reached their biggest lead of the night at 45-41. The game saw four lead changes, but Philadelphia regained control before the break with a 9-0 run, from 53-52 to 62-52. At half-time, the Sixers led 64-59: Chicago had weathered the storm without ever truly turning the game around.

The breakaway after the break

The third quarter gave Philadelphia some breathing space. The Sixers won it 26-20, with two telling spells: a 7-0 run, from 68-64 to 75-64, then an 8-0 run, from 75-66 to 83-66. The lead hit 17 in the quarter, and Philadelphia took a 90-79 edge into the fourth. Chicago were not yet out of it, but they needed to string together stops and cut down on turnovers.

The fourth quarter confirmed the trend. Philadelphia won it 36-28. With 6:39 left, the score was still 107-96. The Sixers then added a final 8-0 run, from 116-102 to 124-102, to stretch the lead to 22 points. The final score, 126-107, mostly reflects the difference in consistency over the last two quarters.

Standouts

Tyrese Maxey finished with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 of 15 shooting in 36 minutes. His four turnovers and 1 of 5 from three-point range did not stop Philadelphia finding rhythm around him. Jaylen Brown contributed 25 points, 11 rebounds and went 4 of 7 from three-point range. VJ Edgecombe posted 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting, with the best plus-minus on his team, +31. LeBron James rounded out the picture with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, while Joel Embiid, who has a Cameroon connection, added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 25 minutes.

For Chicago, Caleb Wilson was the leading scorer with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals in 34 minutes. Norman Powell added 18 points, including 7 of 11 from the free-throw line, but finished with a plus-minus of -24. Josh Giddey dished out 10 assists and scored 13 points, but finished 5 of 15 from the field with 3 turnovers. Jalen Smith also scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

The team numbers explain the gap. Philadelphia made 48 of 91 shots, against 38 of 89 for Chicago. The Sixers also had 36 assists, 10 more than the Bulls, and took 47 rebounds to 42. Turnovers were close, 14 for Philadelphia and 15 for Chicago, but offensive efficiency was markedly different.

Three takeaways

The runs broke Chicago. Philadelphia put together six recorded runs of unanswered points: two 7-0 runs in the first quarter, a 9-0 run before the break, then a 7-0 run and two 8-0 runs after half-time. Not all carried the same weight, but they stopped the Bulls from settling into the game.

The ball moved better for the Sixers. All five Philadelphia starters scored at least 15 points, and four of them dished out at least 5 assists. Maxey had 11, James 9, Brown and Edgecombe 5 each. That spread limited the reliance on a single finisher.

Chicago did not make enough of their threes. The Bulls attempted 38 three-pointers and made 10. Philadelphia made 11 of 31. Chicago got to the line more, with 21 makes from 32 attempts against 19 from 27 for the Sixers, but that edge did not make up for 10 fewer made field goals.

The SNA view

Philadelphia did not win on overwhelming long-range shooting: they made only one more three-pointer than Chicago. The difference came in the quality of possessions, the ball movement and the ability to finish close in or from mid-range. Maxey provided the direction, Brown balanced the attack, Edgecombe made the most of his shots and James made his mark as a playmaker. Chicago, with four players on 13 points or more, had contributors, but not enough continuity. Philadelphia's final run merely confirmed a gap that had already been built.

What's next

Philadelphia travel to Detroit on 5 November at 1:00 a.m., Brazzaville time. Chicago are also on the road, at New York, the same day at 1:30 a.m., Brazzaville time.