The Philadelphia 76ers are at home to host the Chicago Bulls in a battle for 10th place or the sixth pick in the draft, depending on how you’d like to look at it. The Sixers are coming off a buzzer-beater loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night, while the Bulls were beaten by the Suns on the same day. The Sixers are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, while the Bulls are riding a six-game losing streak of their own.
Sixers game information
Who: Chicago Bulls (22-35) at Philadelphia 76ers (20-36)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Network, NBA League Pass
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are playing in the midst of a dilemma or several dilemmas. On the one hand, they trailed the Bulls by just a game and a half for 10th place in the conference and a spot in the tournament. Win, and they’re one step closer to the postseason. But, if the Sixers continue to lose, they’re currently holding the sixth-worst record in the league, and if the balls bounce right, they’d be able to hold on to the protected pick that they sent the Thunder as part of the Al Horford trade a few years back.
Then you have the other issues. In addition to Jared McCain, the potential rookie of the year, being lost for the season a few months back, the Sixers have been hit with injuries to every player on the roster at some point this season.
For Philadelphia, the biggest issue is Joel Embiid‘s knee, which reportedly swollen after the Nets game. Embiid will miss the game tonight and potentially move forward more as the Sixers, and he is considering consulting with various doctors.
Paul George, the team’s big free agent signing, is getting regular injections in his injured hand just to be able to suit up. The team will also miss Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon, and rookie Justin Edwards for the game.
In addition to the injuries the team has faced, the shooting from the field has been abysmal, and three-point attempts have been even worse. The rotations have been questionable, and the team has, save for a few players, looked disinterested in being on the court. The Sixers face a lot of questions with 26 games left to play in the regular season, and this time of year isn’t the best for facing that many issues.
Latest on the Bulls
The Bulls started the month of February in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. They have gone 1-7 during the month and are currently in, wait for it, 10th place. That should tell you all you need to know about the East this season, but the Bulls, after trading away Zach LaVine at the deadline, have looked just like you’d expect them to look.
After the trade of LaVine, the team’s top two players are Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, who just happen to be listed as questionable for the game against the Sixers. With forward Patrick Williams already out with a knee injury and Jalen Smith out with a concussion, the Bulls seem to be in the same position as the Sixers.
While Josh Giddy has played very well this season, if the team is missing Vucevic and White, then they’ll be down to Giddy and Lonzo Ball to carry the weight against the Sixers. At this point in the season, it’s anyone guess as to what will happen. The team could be looking at Ball, Kevin Huerter, Matas Buzelis, Giddey and Julian Phillips starting tonight and that doesn’t put them in a very good position to win.
What to watch for tonight
Unfortunately, tonight, the Sixers will likely be chucking up three-pointers as if they’re in a contest and not hitting many, as has been their offensive system throughout the season. These days, anything over 28% on their long-distance attempts is counted as a good shooting night for the team.
What they will have is Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., Guerschon Yabusele, Quentin Grimes, and Ricky Council IV to lean on, which should be enough to take down the Bulls. The team can get out and run, generating better shots and hopefully a good shooting game. With the Bulls being shorthanded as well, tonight would be a good night for Maxey, Oubre Jr., and George to all get a few steals each and play a better defensive game than we’ve seen over the past two games.
Only time will tell which team wants it more. The “it” is the higher draft pick or 10th seed in the playoffs. Which one each team is striving for remains to be seen.
Prediction
Sixers 114 – Bulls 103
