Sixers ride a hot start and Joel Embiid’s triple-double to a blowout win over Chicago

The 76ers’ cold shooting in Saturday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls signaled a team on the second night of a back-to-back, at the end of a four-game holiday road trip, and playing without the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player.

In Tuesday’s rematch at the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers rode a blistering offensive start to a 110-97 victory, in a game which Joel Embiid notched his second triple-double of the season with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in three quarters in a triumphant return from a sprained right ankle.

The Sixers (23-10) finally topped the Bulls (15-20), an opponent they had previously lost to twice in 15 days. That included a 105-92 loss without Embiid Saturday, during which one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses slogged its way to a season-low in points and shot 39.1% from the floor and 9-of-38 from three-point range.

The opposite unfolded Tuesday, when through three quarters the Sixers went 55.6% from the floor and 12-of-26 from three-point range, and racked up 23 fastbreak points. The Bulls, meanwhile, shot 35.5% from the field and 6-of-30 from beyond the arc during that span.

When asked following Tuesday’s shootaround what it would be like to reintegrate Embiid following his four-game absence, teammate Nicolas Batum’s eyes lit up as he emphatically said, “Easy.”

It sure looked that way during a potent opening quarter, when the Sixers tied their season high with 43 points and led by as many as 29. They made 13 of their first 17 shots – including 7-of-9 from beyond the arc – while the Bulls began the game 3-of-17 from the field and 0-of-8 from long range. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 13 of his 16 points during that frame, while Embiid put together a balanced line with seven points, five rebounds and five assists.

Then Embiid became the aggressive scorer in the second quarter, with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting to help the Sixers’ lead balloon to 31 points. He collected his 10th assist to complete the triple-double on a feed to Tobias Harris for a layup late in the third quarter, then scored his 30th point from the free-throw line with 1.3 seconds remaining in the period to extend his streak of games with 30 points and 10 rebounds to 14. Embiid also got the best of former Sixers center Andre Drummond, who finished with 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 17 rebounds, after amassing 23 rebounds and 15 points Saturday while largely matching up against the undersized Paul Reed.

Harris added 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and eight rebounds for the Sixers, while Tyrese Maxey finished with 21 points on 4-of-7 from three-point range and five assists. DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 16 points, while Coby White added 14 points but went 5-of-15 from the floor and 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The Sixers will next host the New York Knicks, who last week acquired coveted wing OG Anunoby in a trade with the Toronto Raptors, on Friday.