The Chicago Bulls are road underdogs at the sportsbooks for Thursday night as they take on the 76ers in Philadelphia trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven first-round NBA playoff series.
The Bulls avoided elimination on Tuesday in Game 5 of the series by winning 77-69 at home and covering the posted spread for their supporters. Luol Deng scored 24 points for Chicago that night.
The Bulls will look to vanquish their hosts on Thursday, as they are 38-27-1 ATS versus the spread this season, while the 76ers are 34-32 ATS. Chicago is 32-34 against the total, while Philadelphia is 30-36 versus the number.
View Chicago vs Philadelphia Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks have set the 76ers as 3.5-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest at Sportsbook. The total was listed at 170, but may be on the move over at Sportsbook after some early action.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 6 (76ers) and the No. 1 (Bulls) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 100-96 result in favor of the Bulls is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Philadelphia's No. 22-ranked offense, averaging 93.6 PPG, against a Bulls defense that ranks No. 1 at 88.2 PPG. The 76ers field goal percentage has averaged 44.8% so far, less than the Bulls shooters have achieved on the year, 45.2% per game.
Defensively, the Bulls feature the league's No. 1-rated defense on the road, allowing 88.5 points per game. Philadelphia, meanwhile, comes in at No. 25 in the league in scoring at home.
The 76ers were a 77-69 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Bulls. They failed to cover the 5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (146) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. The 76ers endured a 77-69 loss at the hands of the Bulls on Tuesday, despite a 16-point effort from Jrue Holiday at United Center.
Chicago Bulls Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Philadelphia are 5-5
After playing Philadelphia are 7-3
After a win are 5-5
Philadelphia 76ers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Chicago are 6-4
After playing Chicago are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6
A few Bulls at 76ers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Chicago's last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 11 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Chicago is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games at home
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 11 games when playing at home against Chicago
Philadelphia is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Next up:
Chicago home to Philadelphia, Saturday, May 12
Philadelphia at Chicago, Saturday, May 12
