Simmons triple-double leads 76ers past Bulls 127-108

Ben Simmons had a triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists and Joel Embiid had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the Chicago Bulls 127-108 on Thursday night.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 30 points in their season opener.

The curious case of Markelle Fultz continued against the Bulls when one of the more scrutinized players in the NBA managed to steal the spotlight from his more accomplished teammate with simple jumpers.

Chicago Bulls Antonio Blakeney, right, shoots the ball over Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid, left, of Cameroon, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoChris Szagola)

Fultz had open looks early and 76ers fans exhorted him to "Shoot! Shoot!" each time he touched the ball as the second-year guard tries to overcome his aversion to jumpers.

He found the look he wanted 3 minutes into the second quarter. Fultz dribbled to the foul line and hit an uncontested pull-up jumper, the ball rattling around the rim four times before it plopped through the net for two points.

76ers fans erupted in cheers as they gave him a standing ovation and chanted "Fultz! Fultz! Fultz!"

Chicago Bulls Bobby Portis, right, reacts to the foul called against him on Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid, left, of Cameroon, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoChris Szagola)

Yes, a simple jumper from the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 draft in the second game of the season was enough to get a rise out of the fans — and a sigh of relief from Fultz.

Fultz got a similar reaction when he buried a 3-pointer in a preseason game, after not attempting one last season. Fultz suffered from a right shoulder injury, a broken shot and busted confidence in his rookie season. Even his personal shooting coach said Fultz suffered from the "yips," which was shot down by his star client. Fultz blamed his lost season on the injury. Sixers coach Brett Brown tried to give Fultz a confidence boost by putting him in the starting lineup — yet benching him for the start of the second half.

Fultz was 1 of 6 in 15 minutes in the first half and didn't play again until late in the third and the Sixers leading by 88-68.

Chicago Bulls Bobby Portis, center, takes the shot as he splits between Philadelphia 76ers Dario Saric, left, of Croatia, and Ben Simmons, right, of Australia, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoChris Szagola)

"The challenge is to grow him and help us win the game," Brown said. "There's no book that tells you how to do that, so you're going to have to figure some stuff out. There will be some pain along the way and some positives."

With or without Fultz, the 76ers had plenty of positives after an opening-night disaster in Boston.

Simmons hit a triple-double with 2:34 left in the third, the 13th of his career and the first Sixer to ever get one in the home opener. Sixers fans chanted "Trust the Process!" when Embiid ended the third with free throws.

Chicago Bulls Zach LaVine, right, goes up for the shot against Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid, left, of Cameroon, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP PhotoChris Szagola)

Fultz proved a long-range ace again in the fourth — this time with a 3! He drained his first career 3-pointer for a 108-88 lead and the Philly fans that are firmly perched in his corner went wild and again chanted his name.

The Sixers know that if they want to become legitimate Eastern Conference contenders, Fultz will have to become the star they envisioned when they drafted him. He made five baskets and scored 12 points.

TIP-INS

Bulls: G Kris Dunn missed the game for the birth of his son. ... Bobby Portis had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

76ers: Rapper Meek Mill sat courtside and rang the ceremonial Liberty Bell to start the game. ... Embiid thanked the fans for coming and told them to "Trust the Process."

1ST Q & NO D

Embiid scored 12 points in the first 5 minutes of the game and neither team missed many looks in the first quarter. The Sixers made 11 of their first 14 shots and the Bulls started 14 of 19. The 76ers shot a whopping 70 percent in the quarter and still trailed the Bulls 41-38.

UP NEXT

Bulls: Play home opener Saturday against Detroit.

76ers: Host Orlando on Saturday.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first playoff victory since 2019 and the first on their home floor since April 26, 2011.

They can even the series with a victory at home Sunday.

Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 39% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists.

76ERS 125, KNICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2.

With one of the finest postseason efforts of his career, Embiid became the third player to ever score 50 points against the Knicks in the postseason and kept the hope of a Philadelphia series comeback very much alive.

The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor overall, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.

NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Denver moved to the brink of the second round with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series..

Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the defending NBA champion Nuggets won their 11th consecutive meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers in dominating style.

Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) makes a shot as he gets past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)