The Sixers are 7-1 after beating Chicago, and LeBron James drank a fan's wine

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 126-107 on Monday night and improved to 7-1, the best record in the Eastern Conference through the first two weeks.

Tyrese Maxey scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter, and LeBron James added 15 points with nine assists and seven rebounds in his usual all-around role.

Chicago is 1-6 and has lost five of six games, and the Bulls never made the game close after halftime once Philadelphia's bench took over the second half of the third quarter.

The quarter scores were 30-23, 34-36, 26-20 and 36-28, which is the shape of a game that was tight at halftime and decided early in the fourth.

The game was decided in the third quarter, when Philadelphia outscored Chicago 26-20 and then opened the fourth with a run that pushed the lead past 20.

Chicago's only good stretch was the second quarter, when the Bulls scored 36 points and briefly made it a game.

Philadelphia's starters did not need big minutes in the fourth, which matters on a schedule that has the Sixers playing four games in six nights.

Philadelphia's 7-1 start is the best in the East and the best start for the franchise in more than a decade.

The Sixers' next game is on the road against a team with a winning record.

The night's most-shared moment had nothing to do with a basketball play. James took a sip from a courtside fan's cup of wine during a stoppage in play.

The fan later told reporters he saved the cup, and the episode became the story of a game Philadelphia won comfortably in the second half.

James' explanation afterwards was simple: the game was going well, the wine was there, and he took a sip.

It was the second time this season a Sixers home game produced a viral sideline moment, and the team has leaned into the attention rather than away from it.

Maxey's fourth quarter is the basketball story of the night. Philadelphia carried a 10-point lead into the period, and he made sure the margin never dropped below double figures again.

The Sixers' offense has been built around Maxey's speed this season, and Chicago had no answer for it in transition once the game opened up.

Philadelphia's 7-1 start is the best in the East, and it has come with James and Joel Embiid both available for most of the eight games, which is the part the team could not count on last season.

The depth has been the difference in the two games the stars did not finish: the bench has produced double figures in six of the eight games so far.

Maxey's 26 points came on efficient shooting, and he added six assists without a turnover in the second half.

The Sixers' offense has been at its best when Maxey plays with pace and James handles the half court, and that split was clear in this game.

Maxey is averaging a career best in assists this season, and the Sixers' offense has been built to use that passing as much as his scoring.

Chicago's season is going the other way. The Bulls are 1-6 and have been outscored in the second half in five of those six losses.

The defensive problems are the same ones that have followed the team for two seasons: too many open looks on the perimeter and not enough size inside to protect the rim.

Chicago's offense has been better than its record, but the shot quality collapses when the first option is taken away, and Philadelphia did that in the third quarter.

Chicago's next game is at home, which is the only good news on a schedule that gets harder from here.

Chicago's shooting numbers were not the problem: the Bulls made a decent percentage from the field and from three.

The problem was the other end. Philadelphia scored 126 points on efficient shooting, and the Bulls could not get stops when the game was still competitive.

The Sixers' 7-1 start has changed the conversation around the team. The question is no longer whether the roster fits but whether it can stay healthy through a full season.

James is in his forties and playing heavy minutes, and Embiid's availability remains the season-long variable that decides how far this team goes.

The schedule has been friendly so far, and the next two weeks include three games against teams with winning records, which will be more informative.

For now, Philadelphia has the best record in the East, a bench that produces, and a viral moment to go with it.

The Bulls have neither, and their next month is about finding a defense that can survive without a star.

The Sixers' next three opponents all have winning records, which will be the first real test of the 7-1 start.

Chicago's next three games are against teams with losing records, which is the best chance to stop the slide.