Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls 3/6/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls Preview
The Chicago Bulls are all but eliminated from the playoffs at this point, so their eyes are likely more focused on the offseason and the NBA Draft, but there’s still plenty of time left on the season and they’ll host the Philadelphia 76ers tonight.
Chicago is 18-47 on the season and are currently 13th in the Eastern Conference. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and lost their last two consecutive games. Philadelphia is 41-23 and sit just a half-game behind the Indiana Pacers for third place in the East. They are 7-3 in their last 10, winning some important games without Joel Embiid, and they won their most recent game entering tonight’s road matchup with the Bulls.
In their last matchup back on October 18, Philadelphia had no problem whatsoever with the Chicago Bulls as they rolled to a 127-108 win. The 76ers were led by Joel Embiid’s 30 points and a triple-double from Ben Simmons, while Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 30 points.
TV Schedule
Date: 03/06/19
Time: 8:00pm ET
Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
Channel: ESPN
Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup
PG: Ben Simmons
SG: J.J. Reddick
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Amir Johnson
76ers Analysis
The Philadelphia 76ers have had to start the post-All-Star break without center Joel Embiid, but the team has managed to go 4-2 without him, and they nearly pulled out a win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. There’s a good chance Embiid won’t be available for tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls either.
“He just doesn’t feel like he’s ready to go,” 76ers coach Brett Brown told to Philly.com. “He really does feel restricted with some of his movements, there’s a little bit of soreness, I think, still.”
In their most recent game, a 114-106 win over the Orlando Magic last night, Philadelphia started Amir Johnson and called up Justin Patton from the G-League, with Embiid, Boban Marjanovic and Jonah Bolden all sidelined. Johnson played 20 minutes and had 13 points, an encouraging sign for the 76ers.
J.J. Redick led Philadelphia with 26 points, and Tobias Harris continues to play well as he has adjusted to his new team, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Ben Simmons nearly had a triple-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. Jimmy Butler and Mike Scott rounded out the seven 76ers players in double figured with 14 and 11 points apiece.
76ers Quick Links: 76ers Starting Lineup, 76ers Roster, 76ers Depth Chart, 76ers Injuries, 76ers News, 76ers Schedule
Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup
PG: Kris Dunn
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: Otto Porter Jr.
PF: Lauri Markkanen
C: Robin Lopez
Contents
Bulls Analysis
The Chicago Bulls have been up and down quite a bit lately. They had a two-game winning streak, which included a quadruple-overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks last Friday in which Zach LaVine had 47 points and Lauri Markkannen and Otto Porter Jr. finished with 31 apiece.
Two days later they lost to those same Atlanta Hawks with Porter out of the lineup and LaVine managing just 12 points.
Their most recent game was a 96-105 to the third-place Indiana Pacers. The Bulls struggled from the opening tip, scoring just 17 points in the first quarter. They tried to rally with a 33-point third quarter, but the Pacers never let up with Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic continuing to apply pressure.
LaVine bounced back with 27 points, Robin Lopez had 20 and Markkanen finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, but the Bulls just didn’t get enough help on offense, and they didn’t make the stops they needed late.
Lavine said the Bulls needed to play with consistency and “play with the effort and the type of swagger we are playing with. We have to build this chemistry for next year.”
While the Bulls may have no choice but to focus on next year, they have a talented young core in LaVine and Markkanen, and the addition of Porter has been a good one. With some help in the NBA Draft this summer, they could be in a different position next season, so continuing to build chemistry is the best move at this point.
Bulls Quick Links: Bulls Starting Lineup, Bulls Roster, Bulls Depth Chart, Bulls Injuries, Bulls News, Bulls Schedule
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls Betting Odds
The 76ers are favored by five points to win tonight’s game on the road. They are 16-14 away from home this season and 33-12 as the favorite. Chicago is just 7-25 at the United Center and 14-44 as the underdog.
The over/under is 230 points and the 76ers are -200 on the moneyline.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
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