The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls, 103-98, at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.

The marquee matchup began with the team managing all the key absences dominating the opening period, as the 76ers (6-2) built a 29-19 advantage through the first 12 minutes. There was no letup prior to halftime, either, as Philadelphia added another four points to its lead over the Bulls (6-2) before intermission. Chicago finally began to chip away in the third by lopping a pair of points from its deficit, and the visitors made things particularly interesting when their 17-6 run over the first 6:25 of the final period brought them to within one. However, a subsequent 8-0 run by the hosts over the next minute-plus provided the necessary cushion to eventually secure the narrow victory, even though the Bulls to as close as within two points again with just under 30 seconds remaining.

DeMar DeRozan paced the Bulls with 37 points, complementing them with 10 rebounds, one assist and one steal. Zach LaVine provided 27 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal. Lonzo Ball registered 13 points, five boards, five assists, three steals and one block. Nikola Vucevic and Javonte Green mustered four points apiece while pulling down 10 and seven rebounds, respectively.

Seth Curry led the 76ers with 22 points, complementing them with five rebounds, three assists and one steal. Joel Embiid and Georges Niang generated matching 18-point tallies, with Embiid also recording nine rebounds and seven assists. Tyrese Maxey contributed 14 points, six assists and one rebound. Furkan Korkmaz supplied 11 points, five boards, one assist, one steal and one block.

The two squads reconvene for a rematch at United Center on Saturday night.