Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers 1/17/20: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Daily Fantasy
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Chicago Bulls at the Philadelphia 76ers Preview
Tonight, in Philadelphia we will see a matchup between the Bulls and 76ers. The two teams have had very different seasons so far with Chicago sitting at 15-27 and Philly with a record of 26-16. Both teams are coming off of wins but both teams haven’t been playing their best basketball as of late partial due to injuries. The Bulls beat the Wizards for the second time this year and have won 2 out of their last 3 following a season high 6-game losing streak. The 76ers have been extremely streaky as of late with back-to-back wins then back-to-back losses following what was their longest losing streak of the season at 4. Philly beat Brooklyn 117-106 on Wednesday and will continue their up-and-down trend with a win over Chicago.
TV Schedule
Date: 1/17/20
Time: 6 PM CST
Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Channel: ESPN
Injuries
Bulls: Wendell Carter (Out), Daniel Gafford (Out), Otto Porter (Out), Chandler Hutchison (Questionable), Lauri Markkanen (Probable), Tomas Satoransky (Probable), Ryan Arcidiacono (Probable), Luke Kornet (Probable)
76ers: Joel Embiid (Out)
Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup
PG: Tomas Satoransky
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: Kris Dunn
PF: Lauri Markkanen
C: Wendell Carter Jr.
Bulls Analysis
As you can see by the injury report above, the Bulls are dealing with a litany of injuries. They will once again be missing huge pieces such as starters Carter and Porter as well as rookie Gafford. To go along with these players missing time a lot of the “healthy” Bulls are banged up as well.
The Bulls were able to take a 2-0 season lead on the Wizards with a very productive second half. Zach LaVine was once again phenomenal putting up 30 points, supplemented by both 7 rebounds and assists. Tomas Satoransky had a productive game against his old team adding 18 points and 5 assists. Thaddeus Young also gave a big boost filing in a bit for Daniel Gafford who left the game in the first few minutes. Young tied Satoransky for second in scoring with 18, pulled down 8 boards, and chipped in on the defensive end too.
The Bulls will have an uphill battle against the 76ers at home but will need to head coach Jim Boylen to play a logical rotation with their lack of frontcourt depth right now. For some reason, Boylen played Luke Kornet more minutes (35) than Lauri Markkanen (31). Kornet is a reserve big that is getting playing time due to injuries but Boylen decided to neglect Markkanen’s minutes once again and played Kornet more. On top of this Kornet also put up two more shots than Markkanen which may speak to how passive Lauri can be but nonetheless is still unacceptable.
Bulls Quick Links: Bulls Starting Lineup, Bulls Roster, Bulls Depth Chart, Bulls Injuries, Bulls News, Bulls Schedule
Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup
PG: Ben Simmons
SG: Josh Richardson
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Al Horford
76ers Analysis
The 76ers were able to prevent a 3-game losing streak on Wednesday with their win over Brooklyn. Once again playing without Joel Embiid, Philly need a someone to step up offensively and Tobias Harris did just that. Harris led the 76ers in scoring with 34 on 14-20 from the field and added 10 rebounds as well. You can’t make up for what Joel Embiid does on both ends of the floor, but Philly will look to Harris and Al Horford to replace that production as best they can.
Ben Simmons has also been asked to do more as of late. He has played 40+ minutes in back-to-back games and is averaging just under 39 minutes per game over his last 10. Simmons is young but Philly may want to be a little more precautious and limit his workload a little bit especially if they are able to take control of the game early against the Bulls.
Even without Joel Embiid the 76ers should still have an advantage on the interior against a diminished Bulls frontcourt that struggles to win the rebound battle even when healthy. Philly limits opponents rebounds better than anyone in the league and should be able to win the battle with the Bulls playing without their top 2 centers. This should also give Al Horford and possible Tobias Harris opportunity for big performances.
76ers Quick Links: 76ers Starting Lineup, 76ers Roster, 76ers Depth Chart, 76ers Injuries, 76ers News, 76ers Schedule
Key Player Matchup
Tobias Harris vs Thad Young
This matchup between two combo forwards should be key to the outcome of the game. Philly has looked to Harris as its primary scorer with Embiid sidelined and Young should get the start at the four amidst all the Bulls injuries. Both forwards will get opportunity tonight and I believe that whoever wins this matchup should be a good indicator on who will win the game.
Daily Fantasy
There are definitely some potential good options in this game in terms of DFS. Lauri Markkanen is currently priced at $5,000 on FanDuel which is a play I really like. The opportunity will be there tonight, and I think he will be forced to be more aggressive. I also like Tobias Harris at $6,700 in what a good matchup for him should be.
Bet on Matchup
If you’re in Pennsylvania, you can bet on this matchup. Sports betting is legal in PA. Our top-rated online sportsbook bonus offers can be found in our articles: Fanduel Sportsbook promo code, DraftKings Sportsbook promo code & Pointsbet promo code.