Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Butler, Wade lead Bulls to rout of 76ers
PHILADELPHIA >> Jimmy Butler and Dwayne Wade had 26 points apiece to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 105-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Taj Gibson added 12 points for the Bulls, who finished a six-game road trip with a 4-2 record. Butler rested for the entire fourth quarter of the blowout.
Chicago led from start to finish against the short-handed 76ers, who played without center Joel Embiid.
A leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Embiid missed his fifth game as part of his rehab plan for a foot injury that cost him the last two seasons. Embiid is averaging 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 22.6 minutes as he is on a minutes restriction.
That restriction caused him to
sit out the second overtime of Philadelphia’s 104-99 loss to Memphis on Wednesday night. Embiid could return for Sunday’s home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers though coach Brett Brown was noncommittal prior to the game.
During the third quarter, fans chanted “Free The Process! Free The Process” in reference to Embiid’s nickname, “The Process.”
Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points to pace Philadelphia, which certainly could’ve used Embiid.
The Bulls ran away from the 76ers with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored Philadelphia 33-17 to enter the fourth quarter ahead 90-64.
Butler had nine points in the period as Chicago did damage inside and outside. Wade’s fastbreak dunk early in the period helped the Bulls match their largest lead to that point at 67-52. And the advantage was 20, 79-59, with 4:35 left in the period after a pretty sequence that featured a Wade layup from Rajon Rondo followed by a Butler layup from Wade. Chicago ended the quarter with consecutive 3-pointers from Denzel Valentine and Nikola Mirotic.
The lead was 28 points with just over seven minutes left in the game when coach Fred Hoiberg emptied his bench.
Butler had 15 points to help the Bulls to a 57-47 halftime lead.
TIP-INS
76ERS >> Vince Papale, a former Philadelphia Eagles walk-on receiver whose story was made into the movie Invincible, rang the bell as part of the 76ers’ pregame festivities . ... Former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard was in attendance. BULLS >> G Michael Carter-Williams, out since Oct. 31 with a left wrist and left knee injury, had a cast placed on his left wrist. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Hoiberg said prior to the game . ... Hoiberg said he didn’t have a timetable for the return of Doug McDermott, who missed his sixth game due to a concussion.