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76ers vs. Chicago Bulls at a glance

76ers vs. Chicago Bulls a glance

TEAMS: Sixers (26-45) vs. Bulls (34-38)

WHEN:  Friday, 8 p.m.

WHERE:  United Center

BROADCASTS: TV – CSN RADIO – 97.5 FM

SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE:  TWITTER – @PompeyOnSixers, INSTAGRAM – PompeyOnSixers

411 ON BULLS: The Bulls are in ninth place in the NBA Eastern Conference standings and are one game out of the final playoff spot with 10 games remaining.

Friday's game marks the return of Chicago center Robin Lopez from a one-game suspension for throwing a punch in a fight Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors' Serge Ibaka.

But Chicago's Dwyane Wade is out the rest of the season with a right elbow strain.

The Sixers will still have to contend with all-star Jimmy Butler. He's averaging 15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.29 steals in 17 career games against the Sixers.

PROBABLE STARTERS

SIXERS (26-45)

33 Robert Covington SF 6-9  12.8 ppg. 1.92 rpg.

9 Dario Saric PF 6-10  12.6 ppg. 6.3 rpg.

8 Jahlil Okafor C 6-11  11.8 ppg. 4.8 rpg.

20 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot SF 6-6  4.8 ppg. 1.8 rpg.

1 T.J. McConnell PG 6-2 6.5 ppg. 6.3 apg.

Coach: Brett Brown (fourth season, 73-244)

Injury report: Ben Simmons (right foot fracture, out), Jerryd Bayless (left wrist ligament tear, out), Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus tear, bone bruise, out), Tiago Splitter (right calf strain, out).

BULLS (34-38)

44 Nikola Mirotic SF 6-8 9.8 ppg. 5.2 rpg.

16 Paul Zipser PF 6-8 5.1 ppg. 2.7 rpg.

8 Robin Lopez C 7-0 10.3 ppg. 6.5 rpg.

21 Jimmy Butler SG 6-7 23.4 ppg. 1.89 spg.

9   Rajon Rondo PG 6-1  7.4 ppg. 6.5 apg.

Coach: Fred Hoiberg (second season, 76-78)

Injury report: Dwyane Wade (right elbow sprain, out), Cristiano

Felício (lower back contusion, questionable).

THE SERIES

Sixers own a 116-103 series advantage but have lost the last 12 meetings.

LAS VEGAS LINE

Chicago is a 6 ½-point favorite.

LAST SERIES MEETING

The Sixers did a good job getting back into the game. They did a bad job of stopping the Bulls once they got there.

The Bulls broke open a tied game with an 11-2 third-quarter burst en route to a 121-108 victory on Jan.29 at the United Center.

Chicago made 6 of 8 shots during the run, including five straight. Meanwhile, the Sixers missed 6 of 7 attempts before former Sixer Ersan Ilyasova's layup snapped the run with one minute left in the third quarter.

Butler finished with a team-high 28 points to go with eight rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Lopez added 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Wade and former reserve Doug McDermott added 14 points each. Mirotic (13 points) and Paul Zipser (13) also scored in double figures.

The Bulls' reserves outscored their Sixers counterparts, 49-15.

All five Sixers starters scored in double figures.

Ilyasova finished with a season-high 31 points and 11 rebounds one game after being held to four points.

UPCOMING GAMES

Sunday: 6 p.m., at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Sixers at Indiana Pacers

Tuesday: 7:30 p.m., at Barclays Center, Sixers at Brooklyn Nets

Wednesday: 7 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, Atlanta Hawks at Sixers

March 31: 7:30 p.m., at Quicken Loans Arena, Sixers at Cleveland Cavaliers

April 2: 6 p.m., at Air Canada Centre, Sixers at Toronto Raptors

Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.