NBA: Chicago Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Chicago Bulls look pretty strong so far, but their capabilities will be heavily tested against the Philadelphia 76ers. Even though the guests face a lot of problems at the moment, they are still one of the best teams in the league. Joel Embiid constantly has injury problems, but the Process is unstoppable when on the court. Meanwhile, the new-look Bulls have only one loss, playing their best basketball since Derrick Rose’s MVP year. The euphoria in the Windy City is high, as the fans hope to see their favorites back in the playoffs after a long time.

Preview

Chicago Bulls (6-1, +105) come to Pennsylvania after back-to-back victories, both over very tough teams. At first, they defeated the Utah Jazz at home, 107-99, and after that, the Boston Celtics on the road, 128-114, following a major comeback.

The Bulls outscored the hosts 39-11 in the last period, to cause major turbulences in the Cs locker room and expose pretty bad chemistry in the team. The man who needs to be credited the most for this fantastic result is DeMar DeRozan. The All-Star guard dropped 37 points, having only five misses in 20 attempts from the floor.

Though, it would be unfair not to mention Zach LaVine, with 26 points, and Nikola Vucevic, who, even though scored only 11 buckets, had 10 boards and nine assists, proving that alongside Jokic, he might be the most versatile big man in the league.

Philadelphia 76ers (5-2, -115) are on a three-game winning streak, but face big-time trouble. Joel Embiid is not 100% healthy, Tobias Harris will be out for some time, while Ben Simmons refuses to cooperate in any way with the franchise from Wells Fargo Center.

The fact that the 76ers have three straight wins is mostly because all those games took place in Philly, and one by one, they defeated the Pistons, Hawks, and the Trail Blazers in the last event, 113-103.

Seth Curry stepped up in this one with 23 points, while Andre Drummond perfectly replaced Embiid, having 14 points, 15 boards, seven assists, and five steals, being the focal point of the team on both ends of the floor. Also, Georges Niang’s 21 buckets off the bench were something that nobody expected, and his role in Philly’s win was extremely important.

Head to Head Games

The 76ers solved all three matchups last year in their favor. The results were 112-105 in Philly, and 127-105 and 106-94 on the road in Illinois.

Prediction

According to the latest intel, Joel Embiid should play tonight, and his knees are ok for the moment. Harris, Danny Green, and Simmons are out, while the only one unavailable on the other end is Coby White.

The 76ers are winning, but aren’t that confident, unlike the Bulls, who began pushing strong right from the start. At this point, we believe that the guests have a more versatile offense than the 76ers, which will give them an advantage tonight. The Bulls are a well-balanced team with two All-Star players in the backcourt and one under the rim, while Sixers only have Embiid for the moment, with all due respect to other players.

Pick: Bulls Win