Getty Zach LaVine drives the ball against Joel Embiid in a February 19 game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Few teams will have a more optimal first game back from the All-Star break than the Chicago Bulls, who will reportedly play a shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers team on Thursday night.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Tuesday afternoon that both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are headed into quarantine after coming in contact with a league barber who tested positive for COVID-19:
76ers’ Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are required to quarantine until Friday and Saturday, respectively, due to contact tracing, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It rules Embiid out of Thursday game, and Simmons out of Thursday and Friday.
The 76ers co-stars were also held out of the NBA’s All-Star game on Sunday.
Simmons was absent the last time these two teams played, but Embiid put up 50 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals in Philadelphia’s win over Chicago in February.
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The Bulls Second-Half Schedule is Tough
It’s pretty clear that both the Chicago Bulls front office and the team’s players themselves have playoffs as their top priority for the remainder of this 2020-2021 campaign. The franchise hasn’t berthed the postseason since 2017.
Walking out of the All-Star break, the Bulls are 16-18, good for the ninth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Under the NBA’s new play-in tournament format, that would make them eligible for an opportunity to beat one of the seventh or eighth seed teams in a two-game series to punch their ticket to the actual playoffs.
That looks to be a realistic possibility come May if Chicago can maintain their current trajectory.
But one look at their second-half schedule is all you need to lose optimism that they’ll be able to.
Per Tankathon.com, the Bulls have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule in the entire NBA. They’ll play the league’s best team twice and have two separate four-game road trips in April with only one home game in between.
Being able to win games like Thursday night’s against the Philadelphia 76ers is going to be crucial for the Chicago Bulls as they face tougher and healthier teams down the line in their playoff push.
Chicago May Finally Be Healthy Themselves
Two of the Chicago Bulls’ key contributors may be making their returns to the floor on Thursday night. Head coach Billy Donovan told Mike Mulligan and David Haugh of 670 the Score on Wednesday morning that both Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr were trending in the right direction to play against Philadephia.
This would be a huge lift for the Bulls, who’ve been without Porter since February 3rd and Markkanen since February 5th. The two are averaging a combined 30.7 points and 12.4 rebounds nightly this season for Chicago.
Not only are there worse ways to reenter the court after a break like the NBA’s All-Star weekend, but this also may prove a perfect occasion for Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter Jr to stretch their legs and shake off any rust.
As the season progresses and the playoff race ensues, there won’t be too many matchups like these for the Bulls.
They’d be wise to take advantage.
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