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

Chicago Bulls travel to Wells Fargo Center to meet the leading team of the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers. They have two wins in a row, and now aim to make a huge surprise against Joel Embiid and his teammates. As for the home team, Philly wants to restore the winning rhythm, lost during the tour through the West. They’ve snapped the losing skid against the Houston Rockets, looking to improve the record, who has been damaged in the past several days. We expect a lot of interesting situations in Friday’s clash.

Preview

Chicago Bulls (12-15, +280) have back-to-back victories against the Pacers on the road, 120-112 following an OT and at home vs. Detroit Pistons, 105-102, in one extremely dramatic matchup that saw Zach La Vine once again exploding.

The Bulls shooting guard went over 30 points five times in the last six games and is currently the sixth scorer in league with 28.5 points while shooting 52% from the field, and 43.7% from downtown. Apart from all that, LaVine has 5.5 boards and 5.2 assists, which is overall very good.

Against the Pistons, he dropped 37 buckets, hitting 14 of his 22 shots, and four of six hits from downtown. His teammates failed to step up in that contest, with Patrick Williams with 15 and Wendel Carter Jr. 18 points, being the only ones who were able to deliver some productivity.

Philadelphia 76ers (19-10, -400) defeated the Houston Rockets, 118-113, but the guests from Texas came to town massacred with injuries, and that is something you need to know. Of course, the hosts had their issues, particularly Ben Simmons’ absence due to illness, and his current status isn’t revealed yet. Perr several sources he should be playing on Friday night.

But once your team has Embiid, everything is much easier, with the big fella from Cameroon dominating the rivals and the game this season. He not only had team-high 31 points, but was near a triple-double with 11 boards and a team-high 9 assists, all that in 37 minutes spent on the floor.

Tobias Harris scored 24 points with 15 rebounds, and Seth Curry reminded everyone that he still knows to play well, shooting 8-for-13 and hitting 25 points. Overall, the 76ers won the aerial battle having 58 boards compared to 42 of the Rockets. Eventually, that was one of the biggest difference-makers in that contest.

Head to Head Games

The Jazzers won both matches last year. And both at home. The first one was in January 100-89, while the second took place in early February, 118-11. At the moment the franchise from Philadelphia has four straight triumphs against Chicago.

Prediction

Our main concern here is Simmons’ condition, because he is the one who dictates the tempo in Philly’s game, and he is the glue of the entire company. Of course, Doc Rivers’ team is excellent even without him, but with the Aussie in the lineup, the 76ers are at least 30% stronger. Embiid will be unstoppable for the Bulls, as they don’t have a worthy matchup to guard him, while on the other side, the 76ers have a few players who are going to rotate on LaVine. To cut to the chase, if Simmons plays, you go with 76ers -8, and if he isn’t, pick just Philadelphia.