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Sixers shock again; down Bulls to move to 3-0

Nov 3, 2013 - 7:51 AM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - It's no bull.

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to defy logic and reason, at least through three games.

Michael Carter-Williams had 26 points and 10 assists as the 76ers rallied from a 20-point hole to down the Chicago Bulls 107-104 at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.

Expected to be one of the worst teams coming into the season, the surprising Sixers now have wins over the two-time reigning champion Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards and now the Bulls, who are one of the teams pegged to contend with the Heat for the Eastern Conference title.

"We understand what everybody has said and written about us," Sixers head coach Brett Brown said. "I'm lucky I've found a group that enjoys each other's company and they enjoy playing together."

Evan Turner, who has netted 20 or more points in all three games, posted 20 for Philadelphia, which is 3-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Spencer Hawes tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 10 boards for Chicago, which dropped to 1-2 on the season. Luol Deng added 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Derrick Rose registered 13 points and six assists, but was just 4-of-14 from the field against the team he was playing when he tore his ACL in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.

"Turnovers, missed shots, miscommunication. I just couldn't get in my groove," Rose said.

The Sixers trailed by 20 in the first half and by as many as 18 in the third quarter, but took the lead after Carter-Williams picked up a loose ball and converted a layup for a 100-99 advantage to cap a 14-4 sprint with 3:30 remaining in the fourth. It was Philly's first lead since 11-10.

Deng answered with a pair of free throws at the other end before Hawes' offensive rebound and layup put the Sixers back in front. The pendulum swung back in Chicago's favor when Rose nailed a left corner 3, but Turner's reverse layup off a backdoor feed from Hawes on Philly's next touch tied it at 104-104 with 1:59 left.

Rose then threw the ball away, which led to Turner splitting a pair from the stripe for a one-point spread with 1:28 to go. Rose's seventh turnover of the second half came on Chicago's next possession.

After Carter-Williams was unable to get his short jumper to drop, Rose was blocked by Hawes while going up for a layup. Rose got his own miss, but Deng missed a 3 to keep Philly in front.

The Sixers took the clock down before Carter-Williams flipped a behind-the- back pass to Hawes at the top of the arc. Hawes pump-faked Joakim Noah, stepped in and drained the jumper to make it 107-104 with 5.9 ticks to go.

Deng misfired on a left wing 3 with 3.8 seconds left to seal the outcome.

Earlier, Chicago built a 14-point spread in the first before taking a 34-22 advantage after a quarter of play.

Boozer's three-point play with 1:41 left in the second gave Chicago its 20- point lead. The Bulls, who shot 57.4 percent (27-of-47) in the first half, took a 64-49 margin into the break.

The Sixers turned the game around in the third. Another Boozer three-point play staked the Bulls a 75-57 lead with 7:51 left in the stanza, but Philly outscored Chicago 25-8 over the remainder of the quarter.

Tony Wroten's triple late in the frame pulled the hosts within 83-82 heading into the fourth.

Chicago, though, began the fourth on a 12-4 run to increase the margin back to nine, 95-86, with 7:20 to go.

"In this league, no lead is safe," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Game Notes

The final score was Philadelphia's largest lead of the game ... Chicago had a 51-39 rebounding advantage ... The Sixers were 11-of-22 (50 percent) from beyond the arc, while Chicago was just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent).