Is the Bulls’ black streak coming to an end?
The Chicago Bulls have had a great start to the new season and now await the Philadelphia 76ers for the top game in the Eastern Conference. The duel already took place two days ago and ended with a victory for the Sixers, which, however, was quite close with a five-point lead. Another close battle can already be predicted.
The home side has a slight physical advantage, however, as they have been off since then, while Philly played another game in Detroit at the Pistons in the meantime. For the upcoming clash between the Bulls and the 76ers, the tip is also aiming for a home win.
Chicago Bulls – Statistics & current form
The Chicago Bulls had only lost once this season before the recent defeat to the 76ers. That loss came against the New York Knicks at the end of October and was extremely close, 103-104.
Although the schedule was initially limited in terms of challenges with teams like Detroit or the Raptors, the best team of the past regular season, Utah, was also defeated in the third-last game. For the professionals from the Mormon state, it was also the first defeat of the season.
Bulls defence convincing
Head coach Billy Donovan’s selection has earned most of its success so far on the defensive end. The Bulls have only allowed an average of 101 points to their opponents so far and with this yield the team from the Central Division is in fifth place in this ranking.
As two defensively strong teams are facing each other in the upcoming game, the odds on less than 211 points in the course of the game are also provided with value for Bulls against Sixers. Already in the most recent meeting, only 201 points were scored.
The decisive shortcoming in the lost duel with the Sixers was the weakness from downtown: Only 28.6 percent of the attempts from outside found their way through the Reuse, while it was almost 43 percent for the opponent.
At least the game proved that Zach Lavine can still play successfully despite his current hand injury. The shooting guard scored 27 points, although his five turnovers were of course clearly too many.
DeRozan is turning up the heat more and more
But newcomer DeMar DeRozan was really hot in the game. The small forward came from San Antonio before the season and delivered the best scoring performance of all players on the court against the Sixers with an impressive 37 points.
His great performance once again proved his very good form: It was the second game in a row with 37 points after the win against Boston. For seven games, the currently fourth-best shooter in the NBA has scored at least 20 points!
Predicted line-up of Chicago Bulls:
Green – DeRozan – Vucevic – LaVine – Ball
Philadelphia 76ers – Statistics & current form
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to compete without Ben Simmons for the time being. The point guard was first kicked off the squad for lack of commitment in practice and then Simmons announced that he was currently not mentally ready to take the court.
Instead of Simmons, Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton will now take over the role on the one, but it is clear that the Australian’s absence is a weakening for head coach Doc Rivers’ squad.
Small question mark behind Embiid
Despite this, the Atlantic Division side’s opener has been respectable. With a win rate of almost 78 percent, they are ranked first in the East. On the other hand, there are also concerns in Philly regarding Joel Embiid’s knee.
The Cameroonian has not missed a game so far, but with an average of 20.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, the exceptional centre has room for improvement and is below his career figures in each case. One reason is certainly that he is not completely fit.
Matisse Thybulle, however, is in excellent form: The shooting guard is currently fulfilling his role as a bench player very well, especially on the defensive end: An average of 1.5 blocks and 2.5 steals per game is a satisfactory yield with only about 24 minutes of playing time per game. The fact that the six-time winner of the Eastern Conference is third in the league in blocks after Minnesota and Boston is also thanks to him.
Green and Harris missing on top
Besides Simmons, the Keystone State’s list of missing players is even longer: Small forward Danny Green and power forward Tobias Harris will not play. Against this backdrop, the odds for the prediction of a home win – including an intermission lead – in Chicago against the 76ers are parallel with value.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup:
Thybulle – Korkmaz – Embiid – Curry – Maxey
Chicago Bulls – Philadelphia 76ers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The professionals from the Delaware River won all three comparisons with Chicago last season. Thanks to the victories, the men from Pennsylvania have not lost in eight duels! Philly’s recent away record also looks very good from the visitors’ point of view: They have won four of their last five matches in the Windy City. For the upcoming duel at the “Madhouse on Madison” between the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers, the odds nevertheless point towards a home win.
Chicago Bulls – Philadelphia 76ers Tip
The basketballers from the Mud City were defeated by the Sixers a few days ago, but the defeat was close and in the meantime a large deficit was made up. For the game between the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers, the forecast now includes a win for the hoopsters from Chi-Town.
The six-time NBA champions are now on the same level as their opponents in terms of play thanks to the signing of powerful players such as DeRozan. In addition, the home side has had a longer layoff and will be fresher. In addition, the home advantage speaks in favour of the hosts.
After eight defeats against the three-time champions, there should be enough motivation for the team from Illinois and the visitors will be without Ben Simmons, Danny Green and Tobias Harris, which means that three of the normally seeded players in the starting five will be missing.
