Philly's Playoff Hopes Don't Die Against Bulls, But They're Sure Taking a Hit

Look, I get it. The Sixers just lost to the Bulls, 109-102, on March 26, 2026. A 39-33 team losing to a 29-42 team always stings. And yeah, it happened again back on December 26, 2025, with another 109-102 Bulls win. It’s easy to look at that 3-2 record over their last five games and start hitting the panic button if you’re a Sixers fan. But honestly, for a college hoops lifer like me, this particular NBA matchup just makes me think about how much harder these kinds of mid-season slumps hit in March.

Real talk: if a top-seed in the NCAA Tournament drops two straight to a bubble team like the Bulls have done to the Sixers, the "one-and-done" talk starts immediately. You’d have analysts questioning everything from coaching strategies to player buy-in. When the 76ers, sitting at 39-33, fall to a Bulls team that's 29-42, it raises eyebrows, but it doesn't end their season. In college, that’s a season-ender, no question. The margin for error is just so much thinner in the tournament. These NBA losses? They’re just bumps in a very long road.

What Philly Could Learn From College Tournaments

Thing is, the Sixers have a 60% win probability over their last five games, winning three and losing two. That's not terrible, but it's not the kind of dominant stretch you want to see heading into the playoffs. In college basketball, a team showing that kind of inconsistency in February or early March often gets bounced early. It’s about building momentum. When you lose to a team like the Bulls, especially twice in a few months, it shows a lack of consistent focus that can be deadly in a single-elimination tournament.

And let's be honest, the 76ers were also defeated by the Bulls on November 4, 2025. That's three losses to a sub-.500 team in one season. It suggests a mental block or a bad matchup, which are things you simply can't afford in March Madness. Paul George being back for the Sixers’ stretch run is huge, absolutely. But if they can't consistently beat teams they *should* beat, even with their stars, it points to deeper issues than just who's on the court.

I think the Sixers are still a playoff team, but these losses to Chicago are bad habits forming. They need to tighten things up. The resilience required to win multiple games in a college conference tournament or the NCAA tourney is something the NBA’s long season often masks. These recent games against the Bulls are a wake-up call, but thankfully for Philly, it’s not an elimination notice.

Bold prediction: The Sixers make the playoffs but get bounced in the first round if they don't find a way to consistently bring the intensity against every opponent, regardless of their record.