The Philadelphia 76ers are back home Monday night to host the Chicago Bulls as they look to improve on their 6-1 record to start the season. While the Sixers are coming off a hard-fought 109-104 win over the Hornets on Saturday night, the Bulls are on a four-game losing streak, having been beaten by the Celtics, 125-111, on Friday night.
Both teams should have mostly healthy lineups, with Joel Embiid listed as questionable due to right foot injury management.
Who: Chicago Bulls (1-5) at Philadelphia 76ers (6-1)
When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
Without LeBron James and Joel Embiid on Saturday night, the Sixers were able to fend off a tough Hornets team, with Tyrese Maxey giving the team 38 points, including 16 in a crucial fourth quarter that saw the team fight back to take the lead before VJ Edgecombe sealed it with a three-pointer late in the game. Edgecombe, who's had some shooting woes to start the season and is still finding his place among the stars, finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
For the Sixers, two of their biggest additions prior to Jaylen Brown and James coming to town were Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade. After not playing in the preseason, Simons had some struggles getting back into a rhythm, but after a few games, he's in midseason form, averaging 20 points over his past three games while shooting 59 percent on his three-point attempts over that span.
Wade, in a similar predicament, has stepped up since coming back, adding just four points against the Hornets but recording 10 assists and a couple of crucial steals. Both players have settled into their roles and give the Sixers depth that has been largely absent over the past few seasons.
MORE: VJ Edgecombe continues to deliver for Sixers
The Bulls have not had much luck putting things together on the floor this season, as their lone victory came Oct. 23 in a 132-125 win over the Bucks. They haven't had an easy start, having to face the Knicks, Celtics and Raptors, losing twice to the Celtics this past week, as well as games to the Knicks and Wizards, before heading to Philly and then another game against the Knicks. For a team that's looking to establish an identity, the schedule is doing them no favors, and they could be looking at a 1-9 record before facing the Hawks in the middle of the month.
The team is not doing a bad job scoring, averaging 113.5 points per game, which is right in the middle of the league, but they're giving up 129.3 points per game, the worst mark in the league. While scoring more than the Sixers on average would be good, the Sixers boast the second-best defense in the league, allowing just 104.9 points per game. The other part hurting the Bulls is that they're the league's worst three-point shooting team, hitting just 28.1 percent of their attempts. They'll need their absolute best game of the season if they're to stay close with this version of the Sixers.
Against one of the worst teams in the conference and league, the Sixers shouldn't have a problem disposing of the Bulls, but this could be one of those games where they get ahead of themselves. The Hornets are not a great team, and it took some guts and clutch shooting to dispose of them over the weekend. With LeBron back on the floor, the continued improvements of Wade and Simons, along with Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe on offense, this game should get out of hand quickly. The Sixers can score points in bunches, and the Bulls give up more than anyone in the league, so it should be a good night for players like Brown and Edgecombe to get some quality looks and build confidence on the floor.
As James is still in his early-season adjustment period with the Sixers and growing more comfortable, his teammates are learning what it's like to play with one of the best. Everyone on the floor needs to have their hands ready at all times because he'll hit them with a pass before they know what's coming. His command of the offense will only help everyone on the floor, and Edgecombe and Brown should benefit from it with their off-ball movement when they're on the floor together. Tonight may also be the night that Wade starts shooting some threes, as LeBron will make sure he's in a good spot to shoot.
After some tough games, the Sixers could use a matchup like this to continue building cohesion. With several new faces still adjusting to their roles, Monday presents another opportunity to develop chemistry and establish more consistency on both ends of the floor.
Sixers 121, Bulls 109
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