The Philadelphia 76ers visit the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Sunday, six days after beating them in Philadelphia, with the East's top side facing a team on a six-game losing streak.

Nick Nurse's side are 8-2 and head the conference standings, while Tiago Splitter's first-year Bulls are 1-7 and carry the league's worst defensive rating, which makes the visitors firm favourites for a second win in a week.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls form and outlook

Philadelphia had won five in a row before Friday's 24-point defeat at Cleveland, where LeBron James, who is winding down his career in Philadelphia, and Joel Embiid shot a combined 3-for-21 while Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe kept the game close for a spell.

Even so, the 76ers have lost only twice all season and have won four of their five road games, so one poor night in Cleveland does not change a profile built on a strong defence.

Chicago have not won since beating Milwaukee on 23 October, and their last five defeats, including a heavy loss in Philadelphia, have come by 35, six, 14, 19 and 30 points.

Over that stretch the Bulls have actually outscored Philadelphia per game, which shows the damage is done entirely at the other end of the floor and that scoring is not the main concern for Splitter.

The season-long numbers tell the same story, with Chicago's defensive rating of 123.5 the worst in the NBA and Philadelphia's sitting at 106.4, a gap that explains most of the difference in their results.

Philadelphia also protect the ball better, and a Bulls team giving it away 16.5 times a game is handing extra possessions to the side with the stronger efficiency, which compounds the damage from their defence.

Chicago's one edge in the comparison is on the glass, although a field-goal percentage of 41.2% against Philadelphia's 44.4% limits what those extra rebounds are worth when the shots keep missing.

The Bulls are at home with three days' rest, but they have lost both home games while conceding 124 and 133 points, so the extra time off looks unlikely to fix a defence this poor.

Who is available as the 76ers visit the Bulls?

Philadelphia will be without Adem Bona, who has a cervical spine sprain, while Dominick Barlow is out with a back problem and Ariel Hukporti is out for the season with an Achilles rupture, so Nurse has only Dean Wade, Jabari Walker and occasionally James to cover the minutes behind Embiid.

Embiid carries no designation on the injury lists, although he has been managing plantar fasciitis in his right foot and has rested on the second night of back-to-backs, which Sunday is not.

For Chicago, Nic Claxton is a game-time decision with a hamstring injury and could make his Bulls debut after missing all eight games, as are Jalen Smith (hand) and Zach Collins (illness), with a minutes restriction likely for Claxton if he plays.

Philadelphia are expected to start Tyrese Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid, while Chicago should send out Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis and Wilson with either Claxton or Smith at centre, though both lineups remain projections until the official team sheets arrive.

76ers vs. Bulls, the matchups that could decide it

Wilson against James is the headline individual contest, since the rookie outscored James in the last meeting even though James was by far the better playmaker, and Wilson is now the focal point of Splitter's offence.

In the paint, Embiid shoots a lower percentage than Smith but is the bigger rebounding threat, so how Chicago split the centre minutes if Claxton plays will shape the game, particularly as Embiid was on a minutes restriction in the last meeting and the backup centres matter every time he sits.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls player props

What does the history say between the 76ers and Bulls?

Philadelphia lead the 2026-27 series 1-0 after a comfortable win on 2 November, with Maxey the leading figure while Embiid was limited to 25 minutes.

Chicago won two of the three meetings last season, both at the United Center, before Philadelphia answered with a heavy win in March, so the Bulls have shown they can beat this opponent in this building.

Two more meetings follow on the NBA schedule, in January and March, which makes Sunday the second of four this season.

76ers vs. Bulls tips and prediction

Philadelphia's defensive edge and Chicago's habit of leaking points point towards a comfortable visiting win, even allowing for Embiid's uneven form and a possible Claxton boost for the Bulls, because the gap on defence is too wide to close in a single game.

The Bulls should score enough at home to stay in touch for a while, with Wilson and Powell supplying most of it, but sustained stops are beyond them, so Philadelphia take it by 14.