A pair of Eastern Conference foes will square off Monday night as the Chicago Bulls (33-37, 10th in the East) take on the Philadelphia 76ers (48-22, 2nd in the East). The 76ers will host this one at the Wells Fargo Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
The 76ers are the favorites to win this one at home. They are -300 to win, while the Bulls’ moneyline sits at +245. The spread features Chicago as 7.5-point underdogs (-112).
Bulls Trying To Hold Onto 10th Seed
With the play-in game format, the top 10 seeds in each conference are set to make the playoffs. Currently occupying that 10th and final spot, the Bulls know that every game is crucial at this point. They currently have a 1.5-game lead over the Pacers for that last spot, and the Bulls are riding a two-game winning streak entering play Monday.
Offensively, the Bulls rank 18th in the NBA, averaging 113.5 points per game. In their last three games, though, they have been averaging 122. Leading the way for the Bulls is forward DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 25.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
Zach LaVine (25 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and Nikola Vucevic (17.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists) have also had strong years for the Bulls.
On the defensive end, Chicago ranks 10th overall, allowing opponents an average of 112.6 points per game.
76ers Hope To Keep Win Streak Alive
Having won nine of their last ten and eight games in a row, the Philadelphia 76ers are the hottest team in the NBA. They have also played exceptionally both at home (26-10) and against Eastern Conference opponents (29-15), and they hope to keep both of those trends going Monday.
Philadelphia has been led by MVP candidate Joel Embiid. In fact, entering play Monday, he is currently the favorite to win the prestigious award at -250. On the year, he is averaging 33.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game.
The 76ers come into this game as one of the best defensive teams in all of basketball. They rank third in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 110.5 points per game (109.3 at home).
On the offensive end, Philadelphia ranks 13th, averaging 115.5 points. In addition to Embiid, James Harden (21.7 points, 10.8 assists, 6.3 rebounds), Tyrese Maxey (20 points, 3.5 assists), and Tobias Harris (14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds) are having solid seasons.
Take Chicago And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Bulls are 4-1 both straight up and against the spread in their last five games. In their last 13 against Philadelphia, though, they are just 1-12. In their last nine, they are just 1-8 against the spread.
For the 76ers, they are undefeated in their last seven games against conference opponents. In their last six games overall, they are 5-1 against the spread.
While the Bulls are not quite as hot as the 76ers, they have been playing much better as of late. Still, they will have to improve on a poor 13-21 road record.
It is hard to bet against the 76ers playing at home, but with how the Bulls have been playing as of late, there is a lot of value in taking them and the 7.5 points (-112) in this one.
