By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia 76ers (14-15) fell back under the .500 mark for the first time since October 30 on Monday night, losing to a hot Chicago Bulls (9-20) squad that has now won six in a row. The Sixers were up nine in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls remained persistent, putting together a big run late, eventually overtaking Philadelphia for a 117-115 win. The Sixers had an opportunity to tie it in the final seconds, but a Ben Simmons' contested layup fell short.
Over the last seven games, the Sixers are 1-6. They have a quick turn-around, hosting Sacramento on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
The two teams shot pretty similarly overall tonight with the Bulls hitting 47.8 percent from the floor and the Sixers going 48.4 percent. Both teams had good nights from beyond the arc. Chicago made 13 of 28 while the Sixers converted on 14 of their 33 triples. In the end, turnovers played a huge part in another disappointing Sixers loss. The Bulls scored 28 points off of 20 Sixers turnovers.
Dario Saric was the star of the show for the Sixers, scoring 27 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals. He hit a number of clutch shots down the stretch and shot 10-for-19 from the floor. Ben Simmons tallied a triple double, his fourth of the season, scoring 19 points in addition to 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Only LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have more this season. Reserve center Richaun Holmes contributed with 14 points and seven boards off the bench
Meanwhile, the Bulls put together a 15-2 run to close out the game. Nikola Mirotic was at the forefront of the Chicago surge, finishing with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Kris Dunn had 22 points as well, while also notching six assists and four rebounds. After scoring 20 points in the first half, Justin Holiday didn't score again.
The Sixers came out of the gates playing well, getting an 18-10 lead on the Bulls a little more than halfway through the opening quarter. Chicago responded with a 20-7 run to close the quarter with a 30-25 lead. The Sixers and Bulls traded baskets for the better part of the second, but Chicago went on a spurt to go up by 10 with just over a minute to play in the half. Philadelphia got to within five in the final minute, but the Bulls took a 67-59 lead into the locker rooms.
Justin Holiday fueled the Bulls in the first half, scoring 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 5-for-7 from beyond. Kris Dunn started off strong, tallying 12 points and three assists, shooting 5-for-6 from the floor. The Bulls shot 54 percent overall and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc while the Sixers shot 51.1 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from three-point range as well.
The difference was the Sixers' 11 turnovers to the Bulls' five. Chicago scored 17 points off of the Sixers miscues. Ben Simmons scored 13 points, grabbed six boards and dished out three assists in 17 first half minutes.
Philadelphia scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut the Chicago lead to three, but the Bulls answered with a 7-0 run to go back up by 10, 74-64, with 9:11 left in the quarter. After falling behind 80-68, the Sixers started to cut into the lead, putting together a 7-0 spurt of their own to trim the lead to five just past the midway point of the quarter. Dario Saric hit a basket and-1 to lock the game up at 82 and T.J. McConnell put the Sixers ahead with just over two minutes to go in the third. Philadelphia made up six points in the third after being down by eight at half, entering the fourth quarter down by just two, 89-87.
The Sixers fell down by four early on in the final 12 minutes, but tied the game up at 92 after a McConnell triple with under 10 minutes to play. A Ben Simmons basket gave Philadelphia a two-point edge with 7:54 to go in the game, 96-94. The Sixers kept rolling, extending their lead to seven, 101-94, after a Simmons steal led to a Bayless triple. That was followed by a Simmons bucket to give him 19 points on the night with 6:48 to go, part of a 14-3 outburst. The Bulls wouldn't go away though, hitting a pair of three's as part of an 8-0 run to tie the game at 107 a piece. Chicago would score the next five points, going back in the driver's seat, 112-107 with 1:26 left in the game. The Sixers cut the lead to two, 114-112, with under a minute to go, but Nikola Mirotic answered with a three to put the Bulls back up by five with 41 seconds remaining.
Out of a timeout, Dario Saric hit a three to make it a two-point game, 117-115, but the Bulls were able to hold on for the close win.
Up Next:
The Sixers play the back end of their back-to-back at home on Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings at 7pm.
