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The Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls are on opposite ends of the spectrum in the Eastern Conference.
While Philly is intent on contending for a championship right now, Chicago is still feeling things out in the first season under new management. The Sixers are the No. 1 seed in the East, and the Bulls (currently the No. 9 seed) have been grinding to stay in playoff position.
The two teams will hope to build some momentum heading into next month's All-Star break. Which team will have the upper hand on Friday night?
Let's take a closer look at the odds for the primetime showdown between the Sixers and Bulls.
NBA Odds: Sixers-Bulls
Bulls +8 (-109)
76ers -8 (-111)
Over 229 PTS (-110)
Under 229 PTS (-110)
Why the Sixers could cover the spread
The Sixers were in a bit of a funk prior to Wednesday's win over the Houston Rockets.
Philly had lost three straight, giving up 124 points per game during that losing streak. Granted, the Sixers played top Western Conference teams in the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. But that defensive lapses were not expected from a team that has been one of the best in basketball on that end of the floor.
However, while things have been rockier on the defensive end, the Sixers are scoring the ball. Philly has scored at least 111 points in each of its last six games.
Ben Simmons exploded for 42 points and 12 assists in Monday's loss to the Jazz. Tobias Harris had 36 in that game, then scored 24 in Wednesday's win over the Rockets. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid has scored 30 or more points in eight of his last nine games. Embiid's dominance inside is particularly critical in terms of Philly's ability to cover the spread.
The Bulls have defended the 3-point line quite well in the last two games, and Wendell Carter Jr.'s return should help matters inside.
But teams are getting to the foul line against Chicago. The Indiana Pacers had 31 free-throw attempts against the Bulls in an overtime loss on Monday, and the Detroit Pistons converted 20-of-24 shots from the charity stripe on Wednesday.
Embiid is averaging 11.3 free-throw attempts per game, making a career-high 85.1 percent of those attempts. He will undoubtedly be aggressive against Carter, who has a tendency to get into early foul trouble. The Bulls also lack traditional size in the frontcourt in the absence of Lauri Markkanen, running out Thaddeus Young as an undersized small-4 man.
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So, Embiid should control the interior. But the Sixers also have the advantage in the backcourt with a healthy Ben Simmons likely to return to the lineup. Simmons will almost certainly shadow Zach LaVine, whom the Bulls rely on for an overwhelming amount of scoring and playmaking.
With Simmons flanking LaVine and Seth Curry constantly forcing Coby White to run around screens, the Sixers could frustrate Chicago's starting guard duo.
Philly is probably just too deep, particularly when Harris has it going good and clears the boards alongside Embiid.
Why the Bulls could cover the spread
Um, Zach LaVine going nuclear?
Sure, LaVine will likely have to contend with Simmons as his primary defender. But guess what… so did Devin Booker, who hung 36 points on the Sixers and made 14 of his 23 field-goal attempts on Saturday.
LaVine has had the hot hand all season, but he has been especially prolific as of late. He buried nine 3-pointers and exploded for 46 points in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans last week. LaVine has scored 30-plus in five of his last six, including 37 on Wednesday against the Pistons.
Unless the Sixers straight up deny LaVine the ball (a possibility), he will find a way to get his. The All-Star candidate has found a new comfort level firing off the dribble and consistently knocking down above-the-break 3s. His efficiency has been remarkable.
Both LaVine and White can start to heat up from beyond the arc in a hurry, which can be tough for opponents to deal with. Chicago's guards had also had some success in screen-and-rolls with Carter and might involve Embiid in a lot of those high pick-and-rolls to try and pull him out of the paint.
Again, Chicago's surprising ability to force teams off the 3-point line could also be huge in this one, especially if Carter holds his own with Embiid down low.
Final Sixers-Bulls prediction and pick
The Bulls have actually some played elite teams pretty tough at different parts of the season. But unless LaVine gets some scoring help, they could struggle against a Sixers team that will be back to full strength.
Plus, the Sixers will almost assuredly look to assert Embiid and control the paint throughout the contest. An eight-point cover is fairly sizable, but the Sixers get it done.
SCORE AND PREDICTION: PHI 111, CHI 98 (PHI -8)
