I’m sure you haven’t heard this yet before today, but Joel Embiid is 12-0 in his career against the Bulls! Early start tonight in Philly, let’s get another big win.
Chicago Bulls (33-37) at Philadelphia 76ers (48-22) – 6:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Projected Starting Lineups
Chicago Bulls
Patrick Beverley
Zach LaVine
DeMar DeRozan
Patrick Williams
Nikola Vučević
Injury Report: Alex Caruso OUT (foot), Lonzo Ball OUT (knee)
Philadelphia 76ers
Tyrese Maxey
De’Anthony Melton
James Harden
Tobias Harris
Joel Embiid
Injury Report: P.J. Tucker DOUBTFUL (ankle)
Odds
The Bulls come into tonight’s game as 8.5-point underdogs against the 76ers at PointsBet Illinois Sportsbook and FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook. Click on either link to sign up and pick the Bulls to cover (… or pick the opposite …)!
What to Watch For
I told myself after the most recent Pacers loss that I won’t get my hopes too high for this Bulls team, and I’m still not. But I am looking forward to tonight’s and Wednesday’s games against Philly. The Bulls have been playing better and more inspired basketball the last two weeks and have a sense of urgency they’ve been lacking all year. The big 3 of DeRozan, LaVine, and Vooch seem to be leading from the front and playing their best basketball of the season. Philly is playing well too, and a win tonight does seem like a monumental task. I’m just hoping we see the effort and execution we saw for most of last week. Make this a game, make them work, and make them beat you. Don’t just hand Philly a win with a bunch of turnovers and missed threes.
Speaking of missed threes, there haven’t been quite as many of those as of late! I mentioned it in the weekly preview, but the Bulls have shot 40% or better from three in 6 of their last 9 games, and have upped their attempts from beyond the arc with 32+ in three of their last four games. For reference, the league average is 33.3 attempts per game, and the Bulls put up a league-worst 28.7 threes per game. Not only do the Bulls need to make more threes, but they need to continue to take more. Eli has mentioned it a bunch this season, but trading twos for threes isn’t a recipe for success. DeMar can still be the king of the mid-range, but the three-point volume needs to remain high.
Injuries are something to keep an eye on tonight. The Bulls are missing one of their leaders defensively in Alex Caruso. Caruso seemed to re-aggravate his foot in Saturday’s win against Miami. On the positive side, Javonte Green is back and available for Billy Donovan’s team. He’ll be a very welcome return to the second unit and should provide a spark.
Philly has won 8 in a row and 9 of 10. Joel Embiid is playing some of his best basketball of the season and has re-entered the MVP race when a few weeks ago it seemed like Jokic had it locked up. This is a tough time to be running into Philly, but it is what it is. No excuses, the Bulls need to go out and play the same way they have the last two weeks (except maybe the part when they let the double-digit lead slip away).
Joel Embiid is 12-0 against the Bulls, Joel Embiid is 12-0 against the Bulls, Joel Embiid is 12-0 against the Bulls. Maybe if we say it enough times we’ll jinx it!
Matt is from the Chicagoland area and has been working in Chicago sports since 2015 with stops at WGN Radio, the Chicago Blackhawks, Stadium, and NBC Sports Chicago prior to landing at Betsperts. Matt covers just about everything for Betsperts and Bleacher Nation but focuses on the NHL and college football.
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