LeBron James
LeBron James

CHICAGO — LeBron James scored a season-high 22 points, Jaylen Brown added 29 and Tyrese Maxey had 27 as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the struggling Chicago Bulls 127-121 on Sunday afternoon.

At 9-2, the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers are off to their best 11-game start since going 10-1 to open the 2000-01 season.

James bounces back

James responded after a rough outing two days earlier. He recovered from his worst game of the season, against the Cavaliers on Friday, to lift a slow start in Chicago.

He took over in the second quarter. After a passive first quarter, James played with far more aggression, using his strength against the young Bulls, and scored 13 of his 22 points in the second quarter to give the Sixers a seven-point lead.

James made 8 of 16 shots, including 2 of 5 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds and five assists.

A scoring milestone

James also set a record against Chicago. His 3-pointer 3:15 into the game gave him 1,897 career points against the Bulls, making him the all-time leading scorer against the franchise. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 1,895 points.

Supporting cast

Joel Embiid had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe added 13 points. Brown made 11 of 22 shots in his final game before facing his former team, the Boston Celtics, for the first time.

Philadelphia controlled the glass. The 76ers grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and scored 33 second-chance points, compared with Chicago's 12. The Sixers have now posted their three best rebounding performances in three of their last four games.

Bulls keep sliding

Josh Giddey had 19 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds for Chicago. Matas Buzelis scored 19, Caleb Wilson 18 and Jalen Smith 17. The Bulls fell to 1-8 with their seventh straight loss.

Up next

76ers: Host Boston on Tuesday night.

Bulls: Look to end their losing streak.