The Chicago Bulls visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday in a game between two teams that could use a win. Chicago has dropped four straight and fallen to 10th in the Eastern Conference behind Washington, while Philadelphia needs every win it can get as it tries to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
If this game was being played in Chicago, then we could actually give the Bulls a chance at coming away with a win. But, not only do the Bulls struggle away from Chicago (and against teams with winning records), but the 76ers are nearly unbeatable when they play in front of the home fans.
No matter how good Zach LaVine is able to perform, it really may not be much of a difference-maker for these guys. It has been another rough, injury-plagued year for the hapless Bulls.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, is having a good season, record-wise. But there is a lot of trouble in “paradise” as the 76ers have yet to find a stable starting lineup, and have pondered moving Al Horford into a reserve role.
The 76ers did acquire Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III at the deadline to try and bolster the bench, the type of move they seem to be making each and every year. They moved James Ennis to Orlando and also cut ties with Jonah Bolden. Raul Neto is officially the backup point guard after Trey Burke got waived.
Philadelphia is a 10.5-point favorite for Sunday, with the over/under set at 213.5.
Bulls Look For Road Win
Playing without their top two centers and starting small forward for several games has been tough for the Bulls, and it does not seem like help is coming. Kris Dunn, a converted small forward, has not been healthy for two weeks, so the Bulls are on the third- and fourth-stringers there too.
All they really have is LaVine because Lauri Markkanen is also out with a back injury. So basically, it is a one-man show, with other players just standing around on the court during the games. It is not good in Chicago, and they should really just fire Jim Boylen and move on. The fit is questionable at best.
Better days are a way away for this team, which will have several free agents this summer to make decisions on. How the Bulls choose to handle the upcoming offseason will tell us what their long-term intentions are.
Home Cookin’
It is rare for a team with expectations like the 76ers to suffer through multiple losing streaks of three-plus games over the course of a season, but here we are. And they cannot use the injury excuse, because they have played better when Joel Embiid and Horford have not suited up.
The signing of Horford was good in that it took him away from Boston, but it really does not help them with much. He takes up space and crowds things inside, not really doing anybody justice. The team’s lineup has its positives but is lacking consistent shooters still.
Furkan Korkmaz has been incredible of late, and Burks should be able to score for them off the bench, too. That may not be game-changing, though.
76ers Dominate On Home Floor
It’s not a good day to be Chicago. The Bulls will get pummeled by the 76ers in Philadelphia. Take Philadelphia.
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