CHICAGO -- The Philadelphia 76ers were able to end their 3-game road trip with a 127-121 win over the Chicago Bulls to finish 2-1 on the trip and improve to 9-2 on the season. The road trip was a successful one for the Sixers as they were able to finish the trip over .500 and also continue to build and grow as a team.
LeBron James, who had a miserable night in Cleveland in the middle game of this trip, finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists. 13 of the 22 came in the second quarter when he helped the Sixers seize control of the game and allow Philadelphia to handle business to end the trip on a high note.
"Opportunity for us to go out and play the game," James said after the win. "Obviously we're a new group, so we're still learning,
we're still getting acclimated, we're still getting comfortable with one another every single game. So a road trip definitely helps. Three-game road trip, to be able to go 2-1 and also just play better than we did in Cleveland."
The Bulls, who fell to 1-8 on the season, may be struggling as a young and rebuilding team, but they are a scrappy bunch. They play hard for 48 minutes and will sneak up on a team if they aren't ready. James acknowledged that and is happy the Sixers were able to get back in the win column and meet the challenge from the Bulls.
"We know this team – it doesn't matter what their record, they're going to play hard for 48 minutes," James explained. "They're going to continue to constantly put pressure on you. You can't relax. They’ve got a lot of guys that can score. Things like push the ball, push the tempo, get the ball flying. To have that game-plan discipline that we needed tonight to get a win at the end of the road trip."
In terms of his scoring rampage in the second quarter, James just did what he was supposed to do. The Bulls threw Josh Giddey onto him hoping to slow him down, but James used his size, strength, and IQ to be able to finish at the basket and get himself going with some easy baskets. He also knocked down a couple of 3-pointers so Philadelphia will certainly take that type of offensive production.
"I just try to feel out the game and take what the defense gives me, try to go off the vibe of my teammates," James finished. "In the second quarter, I felt like at that moment I could finally get something going. See if we can build up a lead. And I was able to get a couple to go."
The Sixers will now return home to play host to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: LeBron James assesses road trip for Sixers following win over Bulls
