Mirotic, Butler lead Bulls over 76ers
PHILADELPHIA -- Nikola Mirotic scored 22 points, and Jimmy Butler had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Chicago Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-90 on Thursday night.
Butler recorded his second triple-double of the season and the fourth of his career.
Jerian Grant contributed 15 points, Joffrey Lauvergne had 14 and Bobby Portis chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds for Chicago, which won for the fifth time in six games.
With Indiana also winning Thursday, the Bulls (39-40) and the Pacers (39-40) are tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat (38-40) are a half-game behind Indiana and Chicago in the race for the last two playoff spots.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 18 points and Justin Anderson had 17 to lead the 76ers, who dropped their fifth straight.
Philadelphia (28-51) shot just 36.3 percent from the floor, including 21.2 percent 3-point shooting.
Robin Lopez scored the first two baskets in a 10-0 run bridging the first and second quarters, enabling the Bulls to go up 29-17, and a three-point play by Lauvergne with 8:12 left in the first half extended Chicago's lead to 40-26.
The Sixers mounted a charge behind Anderson and T.J. McConnell, who combined for 12 points in as Philadelphia outscored Chicago 21-10 over a seven-minute span to creep within three, 50-47.
The Bulls held a 53-47 cushion at the half behind Mirotic's 11 points and Butler's 10.
Anderson had 14 to top Philadelphia.
The Sixers missed eight straight shots to fuel an 8-0 Chicago flurry early in the third quarter, enabling the Bulls to take a 68-52 lead.
In all, Philadelphia missed 16 of 24 shots and were outscored 27-20 in the period to fall behind 80-67. Grant had eight points in the quarter for Chicago.
The Sixers were never closer than 12 the rest of the way.
NOTES: The parents of Philadelphia coach Brett Brown, Bob and Bonny, were in attendance. Bob, 79, coached high school and college ball for 52 years, ending four years ago, and makes it to 10 to 12 Sixers games a season. ... The game was a homecoming of sorts for Chicago G Michael Carter-Williams, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year while playing for the Sixers in 2013-14 but was traded midway through the following season. "I used to think about it a lot," he said of his time in Philadelphia. "I'm just looking to taking steps forward and not looking back." ... Sixers G Sergio Rodriguez missed his sixth straight game with a strained left hamstring. He will be evaluated on Friday, according to a team spokesman. ... Philadelphia G T.J. McConnell left the game after spraining his left ankle late in the third quarter but later returned.