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The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 9-2 on Sunday afternoon with a 127-121 win over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, closing out a three-game trip on a winning note.
LeBron James poured in a season-high 22 points, but it was his first basket of the game, an early 3-pointer, that caught fans’ attention as the league’s all-time leading scorer added another feather to his cap.
James’ opening bucket was the one that set the record, and it arrived during a shaky start for Philadelphia.
The 22-time All-Star buried a corner triple that cut the 76ers’ deficit to 10-8 and made him the NBA’s all-time leading scorer against Chicago, a mark the 41-year-old stretched with 19 more points the rest of the way.
Legion Hoops spotlighted the record during the game, posting, “LeBron is now officially the all-time leading scorer against the Bulls. Timeless.”
Because the record came against the Bulls on their home floor at the United Center, Michael Jordan’s name entered the conversation almost right away.
One fan answered Legion Hoops within minutes, writing, “It’s official: LeBron owns MJ’s Bulls.”
Later in the day, another fan was even more blunt about what the milestone meant for Chicago’s past, writing, “Beef wise…this a Jordan diss.”
Another fan focused instead on the sheer number of meetings between James and the Bulls, joking, “Chicago probably knows his jumper better than some of his teammates do.”
The record came early, but the four-time NBA champion did his heaviest lifting later, after the 76ers had let a first-quarter lead slip.
James scored 13 points in the second quarter, 11 of them during a 13-4 burst that turned a 40-38 deficit into a 51-44 lead. He finished 8-for-16 from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point range, adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal in 33 minutes of action.
After the game, James opened up about his team’s resilient mentality and its 8-0 record in clutch situations.
“We have a lot of guys who have been in late-game situations,” James said. “We have a no-panic button. We understand we have to get stops, but if teams make a run, we know how to stay calm on the other end as well.”
Jaylen Brown led Philadelphia with 29 points, Tyrese Maxey added 27 points and 7 assists, and Joel Embiid chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The 76ers will now look ahead to a marquee matchup against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, and Brown will look to prove a point against his former team.