Spencer Hawes scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and hit the go-ahead jumper late in the fourth quarter to help the 76ers rally to beat the Chicago Bulls, 79-74, Friday night in Philadelphia and take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Hawes scored 10 clutch points in the fourth to give the eighth-seeded Sixers the surprising series lead. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Already playing the rest of the series without reigning MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls got another scare in the third quarter when Joakim Noah left with a sprained left ankle. Noah, who scored 12 points, returned in the fourth quarter and mostly hobbled around the court.

With Rose out, the Sixers believed they were in perfect position to knock off the top-seeded Bulls and build a series lead on their home court.

Good plan.

The Sixers scored only 11 points in the third quarter and trailed by double digits early in the fourth before taking off against the battered Bulls.

Hawes keyed the surge and buried two free throws to make it 71-70 with 3:28 left.

After getting crushed on the boards all game, the Sixers scooped up a loose ball rebound and hit the open court, only to have Andre Iguodala miss a long and unnecessary 3-point attempt. Iguodala, bothered by right Achilles’ tendinitis, chucked the ball off the backboard to the dismay of a crowd that has seen him do that too many times to count.

Nursing a 1-point lead, Noah missed two free throws giving the Sixers new life.

Hawes hit a 20-footer for a 72-71 lead and Evan Turner made two free throws for a 3-point lead with 1:24 left.

John Lucas III of the Bulls buried a 3-pointer to make it a 1-point game and a send a shiver into a team that faded down the stretch after a 20-9 start.

All of that is behind them now. Jrue Holiday hit two free throws to seal the win to the delight of fans who packed the Wells Fargo Center.