NBA superstar Joel Embiid has starred in his return from a knee injury, lifting Philadelphia to a 108-100 win over Chicago.
Josh Giddey produced some fodder for the game's highlight reel, including a scything pass that set up a Jalen Smith three-pointer in the first quarter.
Giddey finished with a team-high 11 assists, nine points and seven rebounds.
But the Australian was powerless as the 2023 MVP Embiid helped himself to 31 points and 12 rebounds while consigning the Bulls (10-15) to consecutive losses.
Playing in just his fifth game this season due to a knee injury and three-game suspension for pushing a journalist, the 7-foot Embiid missed his first seven shots before connecting on eight of his next 10 in the second quarter as the Sixers claimed a 62-50 halftime lead.
"I just got lucky and started making shots," the two-time NBA scoring champion said.
Embiid has missed the past seven games because of knee injuries and served a three-game suspension for pushing a sports columnist.
It was just the second game this season that the All-Star trio of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George played together.
"Obviously we've got the connection," Embiid added.
"We know when things are not going right, what we need to do ... After that first quarter, it just felt like we needed to take more of an ownership as far as getting us back in the game. They're great players."
In Brooklyn, Giannis Antetkounmpo had 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists as his Milwaukee Bucks snapped a two-game skid with a 118-113 win over the Nets.
Ben Simmons played 17-and-a-half minutes for home side, tallying zero points, three rebounds and one assist.
Fellow Australians Dyson Daniels and Josh Green faired better statistically.
Daniels had 18 points, four rebounds and six assists but his Atlanta Hawks were thumped 141-111 by the Denver Nuggets, for whom Nikola Jokic registered 48 points, 14 boards and eight assists.
Green helped the Charlotte Hornets win for the first time in nine matches - his 10 points, four rebounds and one assist came in a 113-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Elsewhere, Tyler Herro scored 34 points, Duncan Robinson had 23 and the Heat stayed hot by beating Cleveland 122-113 in Miami.
Darius Garland scored 23 for the Cavaliers, who fell to 21-4 — still matching the best 25-game start in team history.
There were also wins for Memphis, Houston, Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando.
With AAP.
