The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to maintain their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference in the NBA on Friday night, as they welcome the Chicago Bulls to the Wells Fargo Center.
Sixers Looking To Maintain Advantage
It has been a patchy run of form for the Sixers to say the least over recent weeks, but they have finally brought an end to their losing run, which stood at three on the bounce ahead of their game against the Houston Rockets. It wasn’t pretty at time for the Sixers as they ended that run of defeats, but they will be hoping that they can now build on the performance that they put in and end the season in strong fashion. Philadelphia picked up the 118-113 win against the Rockets on Wednesday night, which ended a run of three straight defeats.
The Sixers took control of the game in the opening period, as they stormed ahead 38-24, before extended that lead in the second period by outscoring the helpless Rockets 31-19. However, the second half was a far less convincing display by the Sixers, as they scored just 49 points compared to the 70 points that were put on the board by the Rockets. Regardless, they were able to get over the line and get a much needed win. They were led in points by Joel Embiid, who scored 31, as well as contributing eleven rebounds and nine assists. Tobias Harris scored 24, while Seth Curry finished with 25.
Bulls On Hot Streak
The Chicago Bulls may not have given up on a playoff spot this season, as they sit just out of contention at present in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. There are slim hopes that they will win the Conference playoffs, but a finish in the top eight would at least highlights the progression from the side that missed out altogether last season. The Bulls will come into this good form, as they have picked up wins in their last two games in the NBA, as they have beaten the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. Their win against the Pacers came in OT, but they showed excellent character to claim the 120-112 victory on that occasion.
They followed that up with another strong performance against the Pistons, as they narrowly claimed the 105-102 victory at home. Chicago showed their powers of recovery in that game, as they trailed at the break. However, they outscored the Pistons 27-12 in the third, before storming to the win by scoring 35 points in the final quarter. Zach LaVine continued his excellent season by scoring 37 in the win, while Patrick Williams and Wendell Carter Jr also scored more than ten points apiece.
76ers vs Bulls Pick
The Bulls recent form makes this game a much harder one to call, as the Sixers have been inconsistent over recent weeks. However, it will be hard to get against the hosts making it two wins on the bounce this week.
