Bulls vs. 76ers Prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers lost their season opener on the road and will look to rebound tonight at home versus the Chicago Bulls. Is Philadelphia a strong bet to make tonight to cover the spread?
Game Snapshot
501 Chicago Bulls at 502 Philadelphia 76ers
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Wells Fargo Center at 8:05PM ET
TV: TNT
Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our Basketball Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the 76ers are an 11-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 215.5 points. As of Thursday morning, 65 percent of public bets are being placed on host Philadelphia. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Parker to come off bench
Chicago head coach Fred Hoiberg announced his starting lineup for tonight’s season opener will be Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Bobby Portis, Wendell Carter Jr. and Justin Holiday. That means free agent acquisition Jabari Parker, a Chicago native, will come off the bench. Parker returned from an ACL injury last year and averaged 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 31 games. The main criticism of Parker was his defensive indifference and he must improve in that area to secure more minutes with the Bulls and perhaps eventually move into the starting lineup.
Simmons nears triple-double in opener
Sixers point guard Ben Simmons tallied 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in Tuesday’s season-opening 105-87 loss at Boston. He shot 7-of-14 from the floor, but was only 5-of-11 from the free throw line. Philadelphia trailed 47-42 at halftime before being outscored 30-24 in the third quarter. Joel Embiid had a team-best 23 points to go with 10 rebounds in the loss, while J.J. Redick contributed 16 points and two boards off the bench.
NBA Betting Trends
Chicago
The Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall. Chicago is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
Philadelphia
The over is 4-0 in the last four 76ers games on Thursdays. The over is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings.
Prediction:
Chicago should at least be interesting to watch this season with a healthy Dunn and LaVine plus Carter Jr. and Parker. But even in the Eastern Conference, it isn’t probably that the Bulls will be very competitive. This game should showcase their flaws as Philadelphia is going to want to bounce back strong after the poor showing at Boston. Take Philly to cover the big number.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS -11