Bulls at 76ers
The Chicago Bulls reached the finale of their six-game road trip but might be in for the biggest challenge yet against the surging Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. The Bulls won the first two stops at Portland and Utah but stumbled with losses in two of the last three before jetting to the east coast.
Chicago star guard Jimmy Butler totaled 75 points in the last two games on 25-of-43 shooting, but it was Isaiah Canaan taking the final shot at the end of the 110-107 loss at Denver on Tuesday. "I put this one on me," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, who said the first option was to get Butler the ball going toward the basket on the play, told reporters. "I got to get us a better look there at the end of the game." The 76ers don’t have a guard capable of keeping up with Butler -- or Dwyane Wade, or Rajon Rondo -- on the offensive end but is staring at a promising future in the middle with rookie center Joel Embiid and second-year backup Jahlil Okafor. Embiid battled foul trouble and committed seven turnovers on Wednesday but still made the play of the game when he stole the ball from Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley in the final second, leading to the tying free throw and overtime in a game Philadelphia ended up losing 104-99 in double overtime.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE BULLS (9-6): Stories out of Chicago last season often focused on fractures within the team chemistry with Butler emerging and then-point guard Derrick Rose taking a back seat, but this season's group is so far avoiding any of those issues. “We win, we lose, it’s together and everybody is going to smile tomorrow because we are fortunate to play this game and be around one another,” Butler told reporters after the loss in Denver. "I’ve learned everyone in here is in high spirits and that’s what we need. We’ll get another chance at them." Butler is averaging 28.8 points and nine rebounds on the road trip.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (4-11): Philadelphia won back-to-back games for the first time since March of 2015 and nearly made it three in a row on Wednesday before running out of gas as Embiid bumped into his minutes restriction and was left on the bench in the second overtime. The seven-footer, who is expected to sit out on Friday as part of his rehab plan, was frustrated with being left out of the action. "You see how much he wants to try and help us win, how competitive he is," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "I mean, that a hard life to live, isn't it? From everybody's perspective - coaches, teammates, Joel's fans. But it's just the way it is."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bulls SF Doug McDermott (concussion) sat out the first five games of the trip and is not expected to play on Friday.
2. Philadelphia SG Gerald Henderson (illness) sat out Wednesday and is questionable for Friday.
3. Chicago took the last 10 in the series.