NBA Picks #1 & #4: 557 Philadelphia 76ers @ 558 Chicago Bulls
Rating: 4 units - Regular Play
Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (-6.5) (Play up to -7)
Odds: -107 / 1.93 on Pinnacle Sports OR -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes
Rating: 4 units - Regular Play
Pick: Under 214 (Play up to 212)
Odds: -101 / 1.99 on Pinnacle Sports OR -110 / 1.91 on 5 Dimes
Chicago will be using a new lineup that really looks like a declaration of being in tank mode. Lopez, Holiday and Grant will be out of the lineup, with Felicio, Nwaba and Dunn playing on their places in the starting lineup. Felicio is one of the team's worst players in terms of net rating. He's also a bit undersized and a poor rim defender, so tonight he should be crushed by Embiid. Chicago has a clear lack of perimeter shooting with this lineup and their offense is built for shooting from the perimeter, which really exposes their lack of talent with 31-114 (27%) 3pts on their last four games. The Sixers are #1 in the league on 3pts defense, so the Bulls should get limited on offense big time tonight, especially considering that the Bulls like to push up the pace and try to score in transition, but the Sixers are also an elite unit on transition defense.
Chicago's defense improves a bit on the perimeter with Dunn and Nwaba, a considerable upgrade over Grant and Holiday, but their mismatch on the frontcourt will be huge and so, the Bulls will be forced to overhelp on defense down low. I expect an easy win for Philadelphia tonight and so, I'll be taking them in here. As I believe Chicago's offense will be shutdown tonight, I'll be also taking the Under tonight.