Embiid had been sidelined by a left knee injury and personal reasons since a November 20 loss to Memphis, the Sixers going 4-3 in his absence.
The Cameroonian-born big man, who wore a left knee brace, also added four assists and two blocked shots in 33 minutes in only his fifth game of the season.
"He caught fire there," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of Embiid. "Certainly he gave us a lot of confidence."
Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey contributed his first career NBA triple-double with 25 points and career highs of 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
"It was good," Maxey said. "The offense flowed really well. Pick and roll was really good. I was able to get everybody involved, get Joel going and get myself going too."
"He turned on the jets and got to the rim at some pretty opportune times," Nurse said of Maxey.
Embiid was a welcome court presence for the 76ers.
"He creates so much space for us on the floor, gets the attention," said Maxey. "I didn't see one pick and roll double team for the first time in a long time."
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 30 points while no other player on the team had more than 13.
Bucks vs Nets
At New York, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Bucks over the Brooklyn Nets 118-113.
Damian Lillard added 15 points and 11 assists while reserve Bobby Portis contributed 23 points and Gary Trent Jr. scored 20 off the Milwaukee bench.
Germany's Dennis Schroder led the Nets with 34 points.