Subscribe
Follow Us
The Philadelphia 76ers will pay a visit to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls in a 3:30 P.M. ET tip on Sunday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Sixers-Bulls prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
Click here to Bet $5, Win $280 on either team in Super Bowl 56 (56-1 Odds)
*To claim, new users need to register, make a first-time deposit, and then simply place their first real-money wager on FanDuel Sportsbook on any NFL team playing in the NFL Super Bowl to win their matchup. All winning bets will be fulfilled within 72 hours if they win.*
The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off two straight losses to the Dallas Mavericks and the Washington Wizards after winning five straight games. MVP candidate Joel Embiid scored 27 points in both outings but shot just 40.9 percent from the field in the two games.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have won three of their last four outings, the most recent being a 122-115 win over the Indiana Pacers. Ayo Dosunmu continued his stellar rookie campaign with arguably the best game of his career. The 2nd round pick scored 15 points, dished out a career-high 14 assists, and punctuated the victory with a huge dunk in crunch time. Going up against Tyrese Maxey should be an interesting matchup between two rising young guards.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Sixers-Bulls NBA odds for this Saturday night NBA matchup.
NBA Odds: Sixers–Bulls Odds
Philadelphia 76ers: -2 (-106)
Chicago Bulls: +2 (-114)
Over: 220.5 (-110)
Under: 220.5 (-110)
*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Sixers Could Cover The Spread
The Philadelphia 76ers have won both their encounters with the Bulls so far. Philly edged Chicago, 103-98 on November 3, then won 114-105 three nights later. A lot has obviously changed since November as the Bulls have climbed to the top of the East standings. Meanwhile, the Sixers struggled during the early goings of the season, but have since ascended to within striking distance of the Bulls.
Philadelphia finds itself in the spotlight ahead of the NBA's trade deadline this February 10 as they continue to shop around disgruntled guard Ben Simmons. Recent reports also surfaced about how Philly will try to acquire James Harden from the Nets. All of these are outside noise distractions, but the Sixers should remain focused on the fact that they are just two games behind the top-seeded Bulls in the East standings.
Article Continues Below
Joel Embiid is playing out of his mind this season and he should have another monster night against this depleted Bulls lineup. He dominated Nikola Vucevic in both of their matchups this season. He held the Bulls center to just 15 combined points in their two meetings this season.
Aside from the obvious Ben Simmons, the Sixers continue to be without Shake Milton, who has been out since January 5 due to a back injury. Philadelphia has also listed Matisse Thybulle (right shoulder soreness) and Forkan Korkmaz (left knee soreness) as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup.
The Sixers enter this game as the 5th seed in the East with a 31-21 record. They are tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the best road record in the East (17-10). Against the spread, Philadelphia is at an even 26-26.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
Despite being hampered with injuries, the Bulls have managed to hold on to the no. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they don't have that much of a stranglehold on the top spot as the 5th seed Sixers could pull within a game behind should Philly win on Sunday.
Chicago is already without Lonzo Ball (torn left meniscus), Alex Caruso (right wrist fracture), Derrick Jones (finger fracture), and Patrick Williams (left wrist ligament tear). They may also be without All-Star guard Zach LaVine (back spasms) and Coby White (adductor strain) as both are listed as questionable. Both of them missed Chicago's previous outing against the Pacers.
The Bulls essentially ran a 6-man rotation against the Pacers and may continue to do so if LaVine and White continue to sit out on Sunday. If that's the case against the Sixers, Chicago will lean heavily on DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic to provide the scoring punch for the Bulls. Going up against an MVP candidate in Embiid is going to be tough, but Vucevic should get plenty of opportunities to eat. DeRozan has looked spectacular this season and is having an MVP-caliber campaign himself. He could go off if Thybulle, Philadelphia's best perimeter defender, couldn't go on Sunday.
The Bulls are 33-19 on the season with just a 0.5-game lead over the 2nd seeded Miami Heat. They have the best home record in the East at 19-6 and are 22-12 against teams in the conference. Chicago also has one of the best records against the spread at 31-21.
Final Sixers–Bulls Prediction & Pick
It's close, but Philadelphia should be the safer bet here. The Sixers are coming off two straight defeats, but they've had the upper hand on Chicago so far this season. The Bulls are also extremely short-handed and it doesn't help that they could possibly be without LaVine and White.
Final Sixers–Bulls Prediction & Pick: Sixers: -2 (-106)
