Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, March 7th, 2022 

Venue:  Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

Opening NBA Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Spread:  Philly -6.5; O/U 230

Fanduel:  Spread:  Philly -6.5; O/U 230

BetMGM:  Spread: Philly -6.5; O/U 230.5

Bulls: 39-25, 4th place Eastern Conference

76ers: 39-24, 2nd place Eastern Conference

A big time Eastern Conference matchup.  When we talk Eastern Conference the story lines come in fast and furious.  The Miami Heat are in 1st place on the strength of having the deepest most consistent team, but nobody thinks they will win it all.  The Milwaukee Bucks are the standing NBA Champs and have the best player in all of the league possibly in Giannis.  The Brooklyn Nets are awful now… but may all of a sudden be the best of the bunch if they find a way to get Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and newly added Ben Simmons on the court with newly added Goran Dragic and newly added Andre Drummond.  The two storylines in this game are just as powerful for arguments on who will win the East… and may win it all come Finals time.  The Chicago Bulls started the season with a new look roster SF DeMar DeRozan, PG Lonzo Ball, SG Alex Caruso, C Nikola Vucevic… all joined the team’s star PG/SG Zach LaVine to create an all of a sudden winner.  Even better is DeMar DeRozan found a perfect fit and is pouring in stats that look MVP worthy if not for Embiid and Jokic.  Plus all season long SF/PF Patrick Williams has been missing because of injury.  The second year player was expected to step up this season as a very important piece.  Well, the Bulls new winning combination did just that… they won enough games to land themselves in the #1 spot for a month or so in January.  Ball and Caruso landed on the injury list and the team while still winning is not as dominant and deep as they were… still the storyline here is that Ball, Caruso, and Williams could rejoin the team in time for a playoff run.  We have seen this team win all season… but we have never seen how good they can be with everyone playing at the same time!   The 76ers have a storyline that is unfolding right before our eyes.  The best Center in the league Joel Embiid was being held back by the tantrum throwing guard Ben Simmons… so when the trade went through to send ben Simmons to Brooklyn (with some pieces)... in came former MVP and instant offense PG/SG/SF James Harden.  Harden immediately made things easier for Embiid… and Embiid immediately made things easier for Harden.  They are a dream duo.  Adding to each other game after game instead of competing with each other for shots and stats.  They seem like a perfect fit, going 4-1 in the 5 games since the trade.  Lots of people think this combination will cruise past everybody into the Finals.  Lots of Gamblers are high on the combination of Embiid’s 29.5 ppg and Harden’s 11.2 apg… especially when you add in that Harden scores 23 ppg and Embiid nabs 11 rpg.  They have each other’s backs… and after the trade the Sixers still have Pg Tyrese Maxey who is more effective at that spot than Ben Simmons was a season ago when Ben actually played.

The Chicago Bulls have won 6 of their last ten games, but are currently on a 4-game losing streak.  They lost in order to the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and the Milwaukee Bucks.  That should be a scary list for the Bulls as they will see one of those teams early in the playoffs and if they make it through will see another one in the second round.  The grind of the season is starting to take it’s toll in Chicago… The team desperately needs the return of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso to stave off the burnout they are obviously suffering from.  The bench used to give the starters a little lift at the end of the first half… in the last 4 games there has been no such lift.  Plus PG Ayo Dosunmu has been doing a great job as the starting point guard alongside Zach LaVine, but over the last few games it seems the rookie second round pick has obviously hit the “rookie wall”... he is shooting less and less effectively when he does.  Only slightly but it is there.  Ayo could use a pat on the back and a night off that only Lonzo Ball could provide.

The 76ers have won 7 of their last ten games.  They are 5-5 ATS during that stretch, with 7 Overs and 3 unders.  They lost their last game to the Miami Heat 99-82… that should be encouraging to every team in the Eastern Conference.  That game should become mandatory viewing for every player and assistant coach in the East if not the league.  There was no secret to the outcome.. The 76ers missed way too many shots with Joel Embiid going 4-15 from the field, Tobias Harris going 6-15 from the field and Harden didn’t play.  It got so frustrating for Embiid that he drew a technical foul and the frustration was written all over his face.  Harden will not be out in the coming games… so it should be a blip… but still the Heat are a quality defense and found a way to stay on shooters and force bad shots.

Al McMordie CASHED his NBA Game of the Week last night on the Miami Heat against Philly, and has another awesome NBA play on Sunday, as he looks to improve his red-hot 9-3 NBA run. Big Al's also 48-29 his last 77 overall, so get his NBA Non-Conference Game of the Week right now! Go get it!... Don’t miss out! Get Big Al’s picks!   You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

Chicago is 39-25 on the season, but 36-27,1 ATS.  They have logged 33 Overs, 30 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 15-15 in road games.

Philadelphia is 39-24 on the season, but 31-31-1 ATS.  They have notched 28 Overs, 33 Unders, and 1 Push. They are 18-13 in home games.

The Bulls are 9th in scoring at 112.5 ppg, 28th in rebounds with 43 per game, and 8th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9.  They are 18th on defense while allowing 110.9 ppg.  

The 76ers are 20th in scoring with 108.3 ppg, 30th in rebounds with 42.1 per game, and 9th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9.  They are 7th on defense while allowing 106.1 ppg.

Our prediction for Monday, March 7th is….  76ers 118 - Bulls 109

The Chicago Bulls are swooning and usually play great at home.. The 76ers though will have a big bounce back game after stubbing their toe against Miami.  Embiid and Harris will not have a bad shooting night again with that memory fresh in their brains.. Plus Tyrese Maxey will make easy work of Ayo Dosunmu while Zach LaVine is a lot of things… he isn’t a great help defender.

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Chicago has logged 12 Overs and 3 Unders when playing on two days rest the last 3 seasons.
Chicago is 27-11 ATS after a loss of 6 points or less the last 3 seasons.
Philly is 25-12 ATS in home games when the O/U is set at 220-229 the last 3 seasons.

76ers: No injuries to report

Bulls:  PG Lonzo Ball (knee) Out ** SG Alex Caruso (wrist) Out ** SF Patrick Williams (knee) Out

Chicago: PF Nikola Vucevic, SF DeMar DeRozan, C Tristan Thompson, SG Zach LaVine, PG Ayo Dosunmu

76ers: SF Tobias Harris, PF Furkan Korkmaz, C Joel Embiid, PG Tyrese Maxey, SG James Harden

Bulls

Points: DeMar DeRozan 28.1

Assists: Lonzo Ball 5.1

Rebounds: Nikola Vucevic 11.5

Steals: Alex Caruso 1.9

Blocks: Nikola Vucevic 1.1

76ers

Points: Joel Embiid 29.5

Assists: James Harden 11.2

Rebounds: Joel Embiid 11.2

Steals: Matisse Thybulle 1.8

Blocks: Joel Embiid 1.4

Bulls:  Billy Donovan

76ers: Doc Rivers