CHICAGO – Ben Gordon scored 17 of his 31 points in the first-quarter and the Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers 121-94 on Wednesday night.

The Bulls hit 13-of-17 shots in the opening quarter to go ahead 39-16 and were 48-of-78 (61.5 percent) from the field in winning their sixth straight. They improved to .500 (9-9) and gained some payback against the Sixers, who suffered their fifth-straight loss and 12th in 14 games.

The 121 points were a season-high for the Bulls, who have scored at least 100 in eight straight games.

Gordon checked in midway through first quarter and wasted no time jumping on the Sixers. He hit 9-of-16 shots in the game, and he was 4-for-4 from the field with two 3-pointers and hit all seven free throws in the first quarter. He had 21 at halftime, and finished six points shy of his season-high.

Luol Deng wasn’t bad, either.

He scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Bulls have not lost since a 123-108 rout at Philadelphia on Nov. 24 in which Allen Iverson scored a season-high 46.

On Wednesday night Iverson scored 16 of his 25 points in the second quarter. Chris Webber was a non-factor, with six points and six rebounds. Samuel Dalembert contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala added 13 apiece.

If the previous game against the 76ers was the Bulls’ worst this season, then Wednesday’s was their best.

Chicago left Philadelphia with a six-game losing streak and a 3-9 record, looking nothing like an Eastern Conference contender. Ben Wallace caused a stir the following night in New York when he was benched for violating team rules by wearing a headband. The Bulls won that game, and they haven’t stopped.

They hit six of their first eight shots and outscored Philadelphia 15-4 in the opening five minutes. The points came from the inside and outside, with Deng scoring six and Chris Duhon adding a 3-pointer.

Just as the Sixers appeared to be making a run, Gordon took over.

With the lead down to 20-14, Chicago outscored Philadelphia 19-2 the rest of the quarter – all but two of those points coming from Gordon. He hit his first shot – a 3-pointer with just over four minutes left in the period – and kept connecting.

The 39 points were the most in a quarter for the Bulls this season, and the crowd gave them a partial standing ovation when it was over. The beating didn’t stop, though.

The Bulls were ahead 69-48 at halftime, their most prolific half since a 70-point outburst against New Year on Feb. 20, 2002. They had not scored that many in a first half since Feb. 28, 1997, when they dumped 72 on Sacramento.

Notes: Chicago’s Andres Nocioni had 14 points after undergoing an MRI on his sore right hip the previous day. He averaged 25 points the previous three games. … Rookie Tyrus Thomas had a season-high 11 points. … Wallace has suggested recently that he was trying to motivate the Bulls when he wore the headband in New York. Coach Scott Skiles’ reaction? “I wish he would have told me that that night; I could gotten some sleep.”