PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid was back like he never left in the Philadelphia 76ers' blowout win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Sixers throttled the Bulls behind a triple-double from Embiid that started with a great playmaking display to open the game. Philly drained three after three to eventually build a lead so big that the Sixers were outscored 17-0 in over eight minutes of garbage time and still won by double digits. After missing four games with an ankle injury, Embiid admitted that he was not at his most effective level.

“I was dead. Couldn't play more than three or four minutes at a time,” Joel Embiid said. “But that makes sense because yesterday was the only time I did something. It was tough but I'm glad it was a three-quarter effort. So, I'm all about building on it. Tomorrow, I'll do something just to get back to the shape that I was in and then the next day, do the same thing.”

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Joel Embiid played 31 minutes in the Sixers' win, recording 31 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and two blocks while shooting 10-20 from the field. Although he found himself in foul trouble, he played so well that he didn’t need to play in the fourth quarter, giving him a decent amount of minutes in his first game since December 22 without overtaxing himself.

“I think he was moving great. I think his conditioning was less than that. But that's okay,” Nick Nurse said. “I think that game was good for him to kind of recondition himself.”

The Sixers now have two more days off before their next games, a home back-to-back against the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz. Joel Embiid is not only glad to be back in action but surely pleased to have some time to get his conditioning back up.