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ShareWednesday, February 1, 7:00 PM at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
 18-5 (1st in Central, 1st in East) |
VS |
 15-6 (1st in Atlantic, 4th in East) |
TV: Comcast SportsNet Radio: WIP Tickets | TV Companion
| Preview | At The Show | Ticket Deals | Broadcasts | Live Stats |
The Sixers home stand continues tonight as they go for their fourth straight win, hosting the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls. The Sixers and Bulls have both won seven of their last 10, and while Chicago is 9-4 on the road this year, the Sixers are an impressive 11-2 at home after Monday's win over Orlando. The Magic's 69 points is the lowest they've scored in their all-time series with Philadelphia, and their 9-point third quarter is a Sixers season-low for points allowed in quarter. With the Sixers’ and Bulls’ defenses ranking first and second in the NBA respectively, tonight’s game could be another tough grind.
Despite Philadelphia’s defensive prowess, they’ll be faced with one of the toughest challenges in basketball in defending Derrick Rose, who is averaging 23.3 points and a career-high 7.8 assists per game this season. He enters tonight’s game with three straight games scoring 34 points or more, so the Sixers will want to do everything they can to keep him out of the paint and force him to take jump shots. Rose is not an efficient three-point shooter to begin with, and against the Sixers’ frantic perimeter defense he shot just 23% from beyond the arc last season, a full 10% lower than his season average. The Sixers also forced him into 4.7 turnovers a night, compared to his 3.4 giveaways per game through all of last year.
The other challenge for Philadelphia will be to win the battle on the glass against Chicago, the league’s best rebounding team, led by Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, who are averaging 9.3 and 8.6 rebounds a night respectively. The Sixers have been without Spencer Hawes in their last eight games while Nik Vucevic has not played in the previous five. Rookie Lavoy Allen has filled in admirably, averaging 4.8 rebounds, including 2.0 offensive, over his last five games. The Sixers have also focused on gang rebounding from the wings, getting increased production on the boards from Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner and Jodie Meeks.
One of the few chinks in Chicago’s armor is their three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot over 35% from deep which ranks at no. 20 in the league. The Sixers are shooting over 38% from outside (5th in the NBA) and lead the league in perimeter defense with opponents shooting just under 29% for three. If the Sixers can continue to close down shooters without allowing drives to the basket, they’ll be in much better shape as they try to keep the Bulls offense on its heels.
Season Leaders
 Lou Williams: 15.3 PTS |
POINTS |
 Derrick Rose: 23.3 PTS |
 Spencer Hawes: 8.8REB |
REBOUNDS |
 Joakim Noah: 9.3 REB |
 Andre Iguodala: 5.0 AST |
ASSISTS |
Derrick Rose: 7.8 AST |
Game Notes | Schedule | Standings | Stats | Injury Report
