Bulls will open 2018-19 season against Joel Embiid and the Sixers

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It's The Prospects vs. The Process.

The NBA announced Wednesday afternoon that the Bulls will begin their 2018-19 campaign in the City of Brotherly Love against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 18.

It'll be a difficult task for Fred Hoiberg's group as they begin Year 2 of their rebuild, facing a 52-win Sixers team that touts an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid and the reigning Rookie of the Year in Ben Simmons.

It's also the return of the #TNTBulls. In one of the most peculiar and unlikely streaks in the NBA, the Bulls have won 20 straight home games on TNT.  So while this won't necessarily count, the Bulls still enjoy playing on the network.

A year ago the Bulls took one of three contests against the Sixers, though both Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine missed one of those three games. The highlight of last year's matchups between the two teams was Bobby Portis scoring a career-best 38 points and nearly hitting a game-winner in a 116-115 loss.

The Bulls bring back much of last year's team, with the addition of rookies Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison, as well as Chicago native Jabari Parker.

They'll be tasked with slowing down Simmons, who averaged a triple-double in those three games a year ago (23.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 11.7 assists). Embiid appeared in just two games against the Bulls (the first two of his career), averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

It won't be an easy tak for the Bulls, as Philadelphis went 30-11 at home last season, tied for the fifth best home record in the league.

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