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The Charlotte Hornets (3-4) visit the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls (4-4) on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:40 pm ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Hornets-Bulls prediction.
Charlotte sits at 3-4 following their loss to the Kings on Monday. The Hornets are 4-3 against the spread (ATS) – mirroring their strong 56% cover rate from last year. Four of their seven games have gone over after a slight under-preference last season (52%).
Chicago improved to 4-4 after an impressive win over the Nets last night. The Bulls are now 4-3-1 against the spread – an improvement over last year's 51% cover rate. Just like last year, the over/under for Bull's games sits firmly at 50%.
The Bulls took two of the three matchups with the Hornets last season by 14 and 12-point margins. Charlotte stole the finale in Chicago by 16. All three games went over tonight's 223.5-point total.
Here are the Hornets-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hornets-Bulls Odds
Charlotte Hornets: +5 (-110)
Chicago Bulls: -5 (-110)
Over: 223 (-110)
Under: 223 (-110)
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
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Charlotte has been surprisingly frisky despite missing their two leading scorers from last season. Despite placing 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, the Hornets are fifth in three-pointers per game and shoot them at a 38.2% clip (sixth). They have been strong on the other side of the ball as they're 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They're below average on the glass (23rd in rebound differential), but do a good job taking care of the ball (11th in turnovers per game).
With Lamelo Ball nursing an ankle injury, the Hornets have been forced to more evenly distribute touches. Seven different players average at least 10 points per game – with forwards Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington leading the way. Hayward is in the midst of a comeback season in which he's averaging 18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 49.5% from the floor.
PJ Washington has been nearly as impressive. The fourth-year big out of Kentucky is averaging 17.1 points and 4.4 rebounds to go along with 1.3 blocks. After shooting above 36% every season, Washington has taken a big leap forward from three. He averages 2.3 threes a game while shooting them at a 40% rate. Washington is coming off his two best games of the season. On Monday he scored 28 points and drained three threes on 57% shooting against the Kings. Prior to that, he raked up 31 points and 7 rebounds against the Warriors. Washington struggled against the Bulls last season but if his strong play of late is something to keep in mind when making a Hornets-Bulls prediction and pick.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
Chicago got a massive road win against the Nets last night that snapped a two-game losing skid. They received a boost in the return of Zach LaVine who scored 29 points in the victory. However, LaVine is questionable but not expected to play tonight as the team manages his knee. In his absence, expect Alex Caruso to return to the starting lineup.
Caruso is not anywhere near LaVine as a scorer, but he's a solid role player who won't make mistakes. He averages just 5.3 points per game but also dishes out 3.5 assists and collects 1.6 steals per game. Caruso won't replace LaVine's scoring prowess but when you have a guy like DeMar DeRozan in your lineup, you don't need him to.
DeRozan has been up to his usual tricks this season. He provides elite-level scoring (25.1 PPG) and solid periphery stats (3.5 RPG and 4.1 APG) while maintaining solid shooting percentages (50.7 FG% and 36.4 3P%). DeRozan has cooled off some after back-to-back 30-point games to start the season but is in a good position to have a huge night. DeRozan terrorized the Hornets last season – averaging 27 PPG on 62% shooting. Charolette simply had no answer for him and looking at their roster composition, it doesn't look much better this season.
The X-factor tonight for Chicago has to be point guard Ayo Dosunmu. A second-year pro out of Illinois, Ayo is a streaky scorer capable of getting on SportsCenter's Top 10 with any number of nifty moves. He's streaky, though, having scored under 10 points twice but going over 17 three times. Ayo is coming off one of his better games of the season against Brooklyn. In the win, the shifty guard scored 17 points on 7-11 shooting and wiped three steals. He provides Chicago with some much-needed shot creation in the absence of LaVine.
Final Hornets-Bulls Prediction & Pick
The Bulls are in the second game of a back-to-back but looked impressive against the Nets. With LaVine out it's hard to feel great about either side given how frisky the Hornets have been. I'm keying in on the over. Last year all three games between the teams were high scoring and I'd expect more of the same tonight with a fatigued Bulls squad.
Final Hornets-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Over 223 (-110)
