LeBron James Is Back for Philadelphia Tonight, and the Bulls Walk Into a Full-Strength Starting Five
The break Chicago might have caught in Philadelphia is gone: James returns from a one-game absence, the 76ers list their full probable starting five, and the Bulls bring the league's most generous defense to the floor against them.
Whatever rest-day break the Chicago Bulls were hoping for in Philadelphia has closed. LeBron James returns from a one-game absence with a back issue tonight, and the 76ers are back to a full starting five for the Bulls' visit, according to Covers' updated game preview published Monday afternoon. Philadelphia's probable starters run Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, James and Joel Embiid — though Embiid remains flagged as questionable on the official injury report for right foot plantar fascia management, the same designation that has followed him through the weekend.
The standings say what kind of night this is for Chicago. Philadelphia is 6-1, winners of three straight, and a 10.5-point home favorite. The Bulls are 1-5 and have lost four in a row, most recently 125-111 in Boston on Friday, when rookie Caleb Wilson's team-high 23 points paced them. The 76ers, by contrast, won 109-104 in Charlotte on Saturday with both James and Embiid resting, behind Maxey's 38 points — a measure of the depth that is now reassembling in front of Chicago.
The matchup underneath the names is defense, and it is lopsided on paper. Chicago is surrendering a league-high 129.3 points per game, and 129.8 per game on the road, while Philadelphia has given up the second-fewest points in the league at 104.9 a night — 102 per game over its last three. Maxey, averaging 29.6 points and shooting a career-best 48.6 percent, is precisely the kind of quick first option who has punished the Bulls' breakdowns this season; on Chicago's side, Wilson's early production — 30.4 points, rebounds and assists combined per game — and the probable return of Jalen Smith, listed probable with a finger sprain, are the counters. Nic Claxton remains doubtful with a left hamstring strain.
Tip-off is 6:30 p.m. Central at Xfinity Mobile Arena, on CHSN in Chicago. The Bulls' four-game skid has been built on trading baskets with better teams; tonight, against a rested and reassembled contender, the math only works if the defense finally travels.
