It is a loaded night in the NBA with 14 games taking place across the afternoon and deep into the night. The Philadelphia 76ers will be riding high after defeating the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers last night and will now take on the Chicago Bulls tonight in a matchup tipping off at 8 p.m. ET.
Injuries have been the story of the season for the Sixers and that will be the case tonight. Philadelphia enters with a 16-27 record on the year and will continue to be without Joel Embiid (knee), Andre Drummond (toe), Jared McCain (knee), Caleb Martin (hip) and KJ Martin (foot) for this matchup. The Bulls are set to be without Coby White (ankle) and Torrey Craig (leg) while Ayo Dosunmu (calf) and Chris Duarte (personal) are each listed as questionable.
The Bulls enter this matchup as four-point favorites and -175 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sixers are +145 underdogs on the moneyline with the game total set at 231.5 points.
Best Prop Bets for 76ers vs. Bulls on DraftKings Sportsbook
Zach LaVine Over 25.5 Points (-115)
Zach LaVine’s name has been much more frequently connected to trade rumors than recognized for his play on the floor. The two-time All-Star guard is in the midst of an impressive season averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists across the opening 40 games he has played.
LaVine has been especially impressive of late and the Philadelphia defense will provide a great opportunity for the UCLA product to add to his recent stretch of solid scoring outputs. Since the New Year, LaVine is averaging 28.8 points per game and has recorded over 25.5 points in eight of the 12 games he has played.
This is a matchup that should have LaVine licking his chops as the Sixers rank 14th in opponents’ points allowed, 29th in opponents’ field goal percentage and 23rd in opponents’ three-point percentage allowed. They are especially vulnerable when attempting to slow down off-ball guards who can create their shot without the ball, which LaVine excels at. Just last night the Sixers allowed 37 points to Donovan Mitchell, 33 points to Ty Jerome and 26 to Darius Garland. They also have given up 38 points to Jalen Brunson, 32 points to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 27 points to Cole Anthony, and 38 points to CJ McCollum all within the past 15 days.
Expect Philadelphia to struggle to chase LaVine around screens and for the Bulls guard to continue playing in attack mode. LaVine has logged over 25.5 points in exactly 20 of the 40 games that he has played this season. Look for him to add to this list tonight.
Paul George Over 32.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-115)
It has not exactly been a seamless transition for Paul George since coming to Philadelphia. While most of the issues have been deeper than just George’s level of play, it has been a nightmare start to the season for the Sixers, and George has not been anything close to a solution. George is averaging 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists across 29 games.
Finally, the Sixers got a look at the player they were hoping to have signed in recent games. In last night’s victory over the Cavaliers, George finished with 30 points, five rebounds and three assists. Even more encouraging, he attempted 21 field goal attempts. This marked his second-highest output on the season, and he was much more aggressive in creating his own shot.
George has recorded over 32.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in just 10 of the 29 games he has played this season. However, the Sixers have reached their desperation point far sooner than expected on the year and will need all hands on deck for every matchup moving forward.
The Bulls rank 29th in the league in opponents’ points per game, 28th in three-point attempts allowed and 19th in opponents’ field goal percentage. Look for George to carry the momentum from last night into the matchup with the Bulls and continue being looked at as one of the driving forces of the offense.
Guerschon Yabusele Over 18.5 Points & Rebounds (-125)
While so much has gone wrong for the Sixers this season, Guerschon Yabusele has been nothing short of excellent for this team. The Olympic standout has played plenty of minutes at both the center and power forward position and has been the 76ers’ most consistent player. Yabusele is averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds across 26 minutes per game this season.
He has stepped into the starting lineup more frequently lately and in 19 of the 41 games he has played overall. Yabusele averages 30.9 minutes per game as a starter compared to 21.8 minutes per game when coming off the bench and should be in line for his 20th start tonight with Embiid and Drummond remaining out.
Yabusele has recorded over 18.5 points and rebounds in 19 games this season. This includes back-to-back matchups entering this game and three of his last four. The Frenchman will primarily be matched up with Nikola Vucevic in this matchup, so expect Yabusele’s perimeter ability to cause some issues. The 29-year-old is shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc while attempting 3.9 per game this season.
Look for Yabusele to continue making up for the injury-riddled Sixers roster and make a strong impact in this game. He finished last night’s game with 12 points and 13 rebounds and added 22 points the game prior. Count on Yabusele to continue delivering on the floor and record over 18.5 combined points and rebounds against the Bulls tonight.
