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The Chicago Bulls are set to take on the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on Saturday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Bulls-Mavericks prediction and pick we have laid out below.
The Bulls are coming in red-hot with a 9-game winning streak. This torrid run has catapulted them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 26-10 record. Some of the highlights of this run include the back-to-back buzzer-beating game-winners from DeMar DeRozan, who has been playing at an MVP level for them this season.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks are also coming in with a streak of their own, having won five straight games. This stretch included an inspired 99-82 win over the Golden State Warriors the same night they retired Dirk Nowitzki's iconic no. 41 jersey. Dallas is currently at no. 5 in the West.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Bulls-Mavericks odds for this Sunday night NBA matchup.
The Bulls are entering this game with much more momentum, having won nine straight games. They are obviously feeling good about themselves having the top spot in the East and would like to maintain that by going for their first double-digit winning streak on the season. Health-wise, Chicago is missing some of its glue guys and scrappers in Alex Caruso and Javonte Green. Caruso is in the health and safety protocols, while Green is out with a right adductor strain.
Nonetheless, the Bulls have their core four in the mix. As mentioned, DeMar DeRozan is making a real case for MVP this season, while Zach LaVine is also making a strong case to start alongside his new teammate in the Eastern Conference's All-Star backcourt. Since December 19th, the day Chicago started their 9-game winning streak, the Bulls have been no. 1 in offensive rating. They've only been 20th defensively. But with an offense humming and flowing like they have, that obviously hasn't been an issue so far.
Chicago is 12-6 on the road this season. They are also 21-14 against the spread, which should give bettors confidence to pick them for this interconference matchup.
Why the Mavericks could cover the spread
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The Mavericks are coming off an easy 130-106 win despite playing without their two stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on Friday. However, that did come against the lowly Houston Rockets. Obviously, that's a huge difference compared to the team coming into their building on Sunday night.
Porzingis is still in health and safety protocols. The Mavericks listed Doncic as questionable ahead of Sunday's contest. Though Dallas has generally played well without one of their stars through multiple stretches this season, having them both out against the best team in the Eastern Conference could prove to be too much for the rest of the crew. Jalen Brunson has been a revelation, while guys like Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. have been solid contributors on a nightly basis.
Dallas holds a a 10-8 record at American Airlines Center. Against the spread, they are at 20-18.
Final Bulls-Mavericks prediction and pick
The Bulls seem to be the safer pick here considering they have all their stars in tact, while Dallas could very well miss both of them on Saturday. Furthermore, Chicago is also riding high on a 9-game winning streak, thus their confidence must be through the roof right now.
Final Bulls-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Bulls: -2 (-110)
