Two hot teams meet Monday in the first game of a back-to-back set as the Philadelphia 76ers host the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. The Sixers are 48-22 while the Bulls are 33-27 on the year.
Both road teams have covered the spread in both of these teams’ two meetings this season. The game will begin at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
The latest injury update for Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls
The Philadelphia 76ers have been on fire lately, winning eight in a row and nine of their last ten contests. They are now tied for second place in the Eastern Conference playoff race with the Celtics, though the better-playing Celtics are likely to overtake them soon.
If they finished second, they would host game seven of the second round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, giving them a huge advantage.
The Sixers defeated the Pacers by a score of 141-121 on Saturday night, marking their eighth consecutive victory.
In 30 minutes of play, Joel Embiid scored 31 points (10-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 10-13 FT), grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out sev7 en assists, and blocked 2 shots.
The 76ers have won eight in a row and are in first place in the Eastern Conference thanks to Embiid’s late-season dominance.
He’s now scored 30 points in nine consecutive games, making him a leading candidate for league MVP. On Monday, the first of four games he has scheduled for the following week, he will take on Chicago.
- Read more: Joel Embiid injury status of the 76ers
A foot injury kept James Harden out of action. He, like PJ Tucker, may not be available on Monday.
Harden sat out Saturday’s game for rest purposes, but he’ll be back in action Monday evening.
In Tucker’s absence on Saturday, Danuel House started for the Nets, and Georges Niang and Jalen McDaniels saw increased playing time. If Tucker is unable to give it a shot on Monday night, things will continue as they have.
In addition to their two consecutive victories, the Chicago Bulls have won four of their last five contests. With a current record of 33–37, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference, they are once again in the playoff hunt thanks to this recent surge.
They are now 1.5 games ahead of Washington and Indiana in 11th, and they are only 1.5 games behind Toronto in 9th. Saturday night’s 113-99 victory over the Heat was a huge one for the Bulls.
- DeMar DeRozan – Ready
The Bulls were led by DeMar DeRozan, who played a season-high 41 minutes and contributed 24 points (10-15 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals.
The 10 assists DeRozan had today were tied for his season high, and he didn’t turn the ball over once. He shot well from the field (80%) and committed no turnovers (three in five games) to score 20 or more points for the eighth time in his last 10 games.
The veteran forward has been outstanding recently, posting a 26.7 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.9 rpg, and 1.7 spg line in 39.1 mpg.
Bulls injuries:
- Javonte Green (Knee) – Questionable
- Alex Caruso (Foot) – Questionable
- Lonzo Ball (Knee) – Out for the season
- Justin Lewis (Knee) – Out for the season
76ers injuries:
- P.J. Tucker (Ankle) – Questionable
- James Harden (Rest) – Questionable
