Bulls get ready for NBA play-in game with 122-102 win over 76ers in regular-season finale

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Huerter hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points and the Chicago Bulls warmed-up for the play-in game with a 122-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

The Bulls are the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference for the second straight season and will make their third straight appearance in the play-in tournament. The Bulls play the Heat on Wednesday night.

Talen Horton-Tucker scored 17 points in a largely meaningless game for both teams.

The Bulls had been locked in to their play-in spot. The 76ers finished with only 24 wins and finished the season on a 5-31 stretch.

Lonnie Walker IV hit eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Sixers. Jared Butler added 19 points.

Bulls: Bulls coach Billy Donovan expected injured guard Josh Giddey (right wrist) to return for Wednesday's play-in game against Miami. Giddey averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists this season.

76ers: The 76ers finished perhaps — given the weight of the expectations with three All-Stars and a massive payroll — their worst season in franchise history. Paul George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey played all of 15 games together this season. The trio played a combined 119 games. Embiid, a two-time scoring champion, played only 19.

The Bulls outscored the 76ers 37-19 in the third quarter to wipe out a halftime deficit.

The ninth-seeded Bulls host No. 10 Miami on Wednesday in an elimination game.

The 76ers are guaranteed at least the fifth-best odds in the NBA draft lottery. That spot gives them a 10.5% chance at getting the top overall pick. They missed the postseason for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers' Adem Bona (30) goes up to shoot against Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Chicago Bulls' Matas Buzelis, center, looks to pass past Philadelphia 76ers' Isaiah Mobley during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Isaiah Mobley dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Quentin Grimes goes up to shoot against Chicago Bulls' Jalen Smith during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Chicago Bulls' Zach Collins (12) goes up to shoot against Chicago Bulls' Dalen Terry during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Jalen Hood-Schifino, left, and Chicago Bulls' Talen Horton-Tucker scramble for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Isaiah Mobley (35) and Jared Butler battle for the ball with Chicago Bulls' Matas Buzelis during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Jared Butler (12) goes up to shoot against Chicago Bulls' Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia 76ers' Isaiah Mobley, left, passes as Chicago Bulls' Matas Buzelis (14) defends and 76ers Jared Butler looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Chicago Bulls' Kevin Huerter (13) reacts past Philadelphia 76ers' Lonnie Walker IV during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. A separate strike in Lebanon on Tuesday killed a member of a local Islamist group.

Israel's 18-month offensive against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, raising fears that much of it may never be rebuilt. The territory already had a shortage of heavy equipment, which is also needed to rescue people from the rubble after Israeli strikes and to clear vital roads.

A municipality in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza said a strike on its parking garage destroyed nine bulldozers provided by Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire that took hold in January. Israel ended the truce last month, renewing its bombardment and ground operations and sealing the territory's 2 million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, fuel and medical supplies.

The strikes also destroyed a water tanker and a mobile generator provided by aid groups, and a truck used to pump sewage, the Jabaliya al-Nazla municipality said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. The military says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the group operates in densely populated areas.

An Israeli airstrike early Tuesday destroyed a multistory home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing nine people, including four women and four children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included a 2-year-old girl and her parents.

“They were asleep, sleeping in God’s peace. They had nothing to do with anything,” said Awad Dahliz, the slain girl's grandfather. “What is the fault of this innocent child?"

A separate strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp killed three children and their parents, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service.

Israel's air and ground war has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. They are still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Hamas has said it will only free the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Israel has said it will keep fighting until the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It has pledged to hold onto so-called security zones in Gaza indefinitely.

An Israeli drone strike southeast of Beirut killed Hussein Atwi, a member of the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a regionwide Sunni Islamist political movement. The group said he was leaving for work when the drone struck.

Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes across Lebanon despite reaching a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group in November. Israel says it is targeting militants and weapons caches. The Lebanese government says 190 people have been killed and 485 wounded since the ceasefire took hold.

Hezbollah began firing on Israel the day after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Israel responded with airstrikes, and the conflict in Lebanon escalated into a full-blown war in September when Israel carried out a heavy wave of strikes and killed most of Hezbollah's top leadership.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli army airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Smoke rises from the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian man extinguishes the fire from bulldozers after they were hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians examine the remains of bulldozers hit by an Israeli army airstrike in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)