76ers vs Bulls Picks and Predictions: Chicago Takes it to Philly

Week 2 of the NBA season is winding down, and we have an exciting Eastern Conference matchup when the Philadelphia 76ers meet the Chicago Bulls. 

Philadelphia enters this matchup off a huge Friday night victory over Toronto, while Chicago saw its two-game winning streak snapped in San Antonio.

Who will come out victorious Saturday night? Find out in our free 76ers vs. Bulls NBA betting picks and predictions for Saturday, October 29.

76ers vs Bulls best odds

76ers vs Bulls picks and predictions

NBA odds have installed Chicago as a one-point home underdog, and I’m looking for the Bulls to cover tonight.

Chicago suffered a tough away loss last night to end its two-game winning streak, but it was missing Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic played awful Friday night. LaVine might miss tonight's contest, but I expect Vucevic to be the difference maker against the 76ers.

Vucevic has played good basketball thus far, averaging 17 points with 11.8 caroms, but he came nowhere near that Friday and the Bulls suffered for it. Take away LaVine’s production, and a monster 33-point DeMar DeRozan night gets wasted in an away loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

That shouldn’t be the case tonight against the 76ers. Philly is coming off a win that had more to do with Tyrese Maxey going 9-for-12 from downtown on the Raptors after losing to Toronto earlier in the week. Embiid missed the contest, but the rest of the starters didn’t contribute much.

The 76ers are currently dead last in points allowed in transition, which is historically bad. According to Cleaning the Glass, Philadelphia's opponents add nearly 10 points per game in transition, five points higher than last season's worst 4.5 points. 

Look for Vucevic to be more aggressive against the 76ers with or without Embiid. Philadelphia is the worst rebounding team in the league, and Vucevic crashing boards and making plays is what has won games for Chicago and will win it the game tonight.

I expect LaVine to suit up and the Bulls to take it to the 76ers tonight. They’ve lost 10 straight to Philadelphia and won’t want to lose at home to the lethargic 76ers. Philadelphia shot 42% from downtown last night but when those shots don’t fall tonight, look for the home side to get out in transition, dominate the glass and cover the 1-point spread. 

My best bet: Bulls +1 (-110 at Caesars)

76ers vs Bulls spread analysis

I already outlined why I like Chicago to cover, but the moneyline is also in play.

Until last night, the Bulls have held teams under 110 points per game. San Antonio torched Chicago from behind the arc, but Philly isn’t going to shoot 42% from downtown again tonight. 

The Bulls are 11th in offensive rebounds against a 76ers side ranked 30th. Add that with the transition points Philly allows paired with its lack of scoring punch, and you have a recipe for disaster.

The Bulls bench outscored the starters last night, but that will change with LaVine, and the second unit becomes much more potent with Alex Caruso in a reserve role. Philadelphia's reserves are dead last in scoring, which gives Chicago a considerable advantage. 

76ers vs Bulls Over/Under analysis

219.5 is the total for this game, and I’m leaning toward the Under.

Neither side is in the Top 15 in 3-point shooting percentage. Philadelphia is 16th (35%), and Chicago is 18th, knocking down 34% of its threes.

The 76ers are dead last in pace, while the Bulls are 10th. Their combined 194 possessions, paired with both teams' below-average shooting from downtown, might make scoring 220 points difficult tonight.

The Under is 4-2-0 over the 76ers' last six and 3-3-0 in the Bulls' previous six contests. 

76ers vs Bulls betting trend to know

The Bulls are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Bulls.

76ers vs Bulls game info

76ers vs Bulls key injuries

Pages related to this topic