Friday’s nine-game NBA slate is built around a solid doubleheader on Prime Video, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET with a juicy Eastern Conference matchup in the Windy City, where the Philadelphia 76ers roll into town to take on the Chicago Bulls. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of my top player prop bets from this matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In the overall game, the 76ers are 1.5-point road favorites, with the game total set at O/U 240.5 points. The Bulls beat the Sixers, 113-111, in their first matchup this season, and they’re scheduled to meet two more times during the regular season. The Bulls have been trending up lately, winning five of their last six games, including back-to-back wins in Atlanta before Christmas. The 76ers had won six of their last eight games before slipping up at home against the Nets last Tuesday. The Sixers are 16-12 and sit No. 5 in the Eastern Conference, while the Bulls are 14-15, currently at No. 10.
Looking at the best options from both sides of this entertaining matchup, here are my top player props to check out for Friday night’s matchup.
Bulls vs. 76ers Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Tyrese Maxey 40+ Points + Rebounds + Assists (-113)
The Sixers have a lengthy injury report on Friday, which makes things a little uncertain. Joel Embiid (knee) is questionable after playing on Tuesday, while V.J. Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and Dominick Barlow are each questionable with an illness. Maxey should help pick up the work if any of those four players are out, and he is in a great matchup against the Bulls, whom he has shredded in their last few meetings.
Maxey took a little bit of a back seat on Tuesday with Embiid playing and only had 13 points and 18 PRA (points, rebounds, and assists) while struggling to just 3-of-14 from the field. Before that down game, though, he had over 40 PRA in back-to-back games after returning from his own illness. He had at least 40 PRA in six of his previous seven games before Tuesday’s clunker.
In his first game against the Bulls this season, he racked up 39 points, five rebounds, and five assists for 49 PRA, and he’ll look to post a similar number on Friday after a couple of days to erase that performance against Brooklyn. If Embiid or any of the other players are out or limited, he will be an even stronger play, but even if all the questionable players are active, I expect a bounce-back performance from Maxey in this matchup.
Josh Giddey over 18.5 points (-112)
Giddey had exactly 19 points in each of the Bulls’ two wins against the Hawks, and he is averaging 20.0 points per game on the season.
He had 29 points in the first matchup between these teams and has gone over this prop in 11 of his last 18 games overall.
The Bulls have played three more road games than home games, but Giddey’s averages have been slightly better at the United Center, where he is shooting 44.2% from long range and producing 20.3 points per game.
Giddey and Maxey should both be set to put up plenty of points in this matchup, and I think both will end up over in these props in what should be a close game coming down the stretch.
Nikola Vucevic over 12.5 Rebounds + Assists (+107)
Whether Embiid plays or not, I expect Vucevic to go over this Rebounds + Assists prop against his former team. He has at least 13 rebounds and assists in three of his last four games after contributing 10 points and four assists on Tuesday. Vucevic has averaged 9.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists (13.2 rebounds and assists) on the season, and he has been even better at home, especially on a per-minute basis.
In his matchup earlier this season with the Sixers, he had 10 rebounds but no assists, but he has been much more involved in the offense with more assists since the return of Coby White. Whether he matches up against Embiid or his former teammate Andre Drummond, I think Vooch will get at least 12 rebounds and assists this Friday night at home.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Isaac Okoro over 7.5 points (-105)
Okoro has scored at least eight points in six of his last eight games and is averaging 8.6 points per game on the season. He only needed 19 minutes to score 14 points on Sunday and followed that up with eight points in 22 minutes on Tuesday. Okoro could also get more work if Patrick Williams (illness, questionable) ends up sidelined.
If you add in Okoro’s points to your Same Game Parlay (SGP) or an SPGx, the four legs combine to be a +1100 SGP as you can see here:
