Three Things to Watch: Bulls look for sixth straight win against Sixers and ‘The Process'

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1. Six straight? The Bulls are on fire. After winning just three times during their first 23 games of the season, the Bulls have won five in a row. That's been thanks to the strong play of Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis, the two guys on either end of that infamous preseason punch. The Bulls have been the victors in every game Mirotic has played this season (he returned to action to start the win streak), and the forward has been electric, averaging 20 points a game while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Portis has posted a pair of huge scoring games during the win streak — 23 against the Boston Celtics and a career-high 27 against the Milwaukee Bucks last Friday — and he hauled in 12 rebounds last game for his third double-double of the season. The Bulls have already defeated a pair of teams in the Eastern Conference playoff picture during this streak. Can they make it six in a row against the Sixers?

2. No Embiid, but Sixers are still a challenge. Philly will be without its best player Monday, with Joel Embiid ruled out of the first game of a back-to-back for the Sixers. Embiid has been awesome this season, averaging 24.1 points per game, one of the top 15 scoring averages in the league, and he's also hauling in 11 rebounds a game. Without him on the floor, the Bulls figure to have a much easier time locking down their sixth straight win. But Embiid isn't the only weapon on this squad. Ben Simmons has been great, too, and the guard is approaching Westbrook-like numbers, nearly averaging a triple-double on the season with 17.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. JJ Redick is averaging 17 points a game, and Robert Covington is averaging 15.1 points a game. So there's no Embiid, but watch out for these Sixers, who are hoping to finally see "The Process" come to fruition.

3. Dunn is fun. Mirotic and Portis are getting a lot of attention for their efforts during the Bulls' win streak, but be sure to throw some love Kris Dunn's way. The Bulls' point guard is averaging 15.8 points a game, 7.8 assists a game and 4.8 rebounds a game during this hot stretch. His numbers are vastly improved this season with significantly more playing time after a poor rookie campaign in Minnesota. Dunn's shooting 43.4 percent from the field this season after shooting 37.7 percent a year ago. And he's shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range this season after shooting 28.8 percent from behind the arc last year.

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