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The Chicago Bulls host the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Mavericks-Bulls prediction and pick.
The Mavericks are coming off a close one-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night after Luka Doncic scored 33 points in the loss. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 in the Bucks' win after a huge comeback in the 4th quarter. The Mavericks are on a back-to-back and will try and take down a struggling Bulls team.
As for Chicago, they took down the Washington Wizards 115-111 Wednesday night after losing three games in a row. Demar DeRozan scored 27 in the win as he shot 11/21 from the floor. The Bulls have a chance to take down the Mavericks as Luka Doncic will not be suiting up for this matchup.
Here are the Mavericks-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Bulls Odds
Dallas Mavericks: +5.5 (-112)
Chicago Bulls: -5.5 (-108)
Over: 219.5 (-110)
Under: 219.5 (-110)
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Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
Dallas will be a bit short-handed for this game. Doncic, as well as Josh Green and Ma Kleber, are all out. Obviously, without Luka the Mavericks are kinda screwed, aren't they? Well, that isn't necessarily the case. Christian Wood is averaging 16.6 points per game and Spencer Dinwiddie is right behind him at 16.3 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. is the only other player that averages double figures so there is proof that the Mavericks have capable scorers. If those three can step up and form a trio of scorers then the Mavericks can easily cover this spread.
We all know what Doncic means to this team and to the NBA as a whole. He is dealing with a right quad strain but shouldn't be out long. This would be a huge momentum boost for a team that desperately needs to figure themselves out. It seems like the Mavericks are capable of beating anyone out there as well as losing to any team out there. Dallas must do a good job of containing DeRozan as well as Zach LaVine.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
The Bulls have a chance to get back on track tonight. They are already coming off of a win but only a four-point victory over Washington isn't something to be super proud of. However, the team saw some great things offensively in that game. LaVine scored 25 as well as Nikola Vucevic. Adding DeRozan into that trio forms a solid core — they just haven't really put it all together yet. We saw it a bit last season early on when the Bulls were the No. 1 team in the East for a while. But now, they are fighting for a playoff spot as they are currently the 12th seed in the East.
The Bulls are only (6-5) at home which is not good enough to be a contender. They must improve their play in front of their own fans as that is crucial come playoff time. There is plenty of time for them to figure it out and when Lonzo Ball returns, they will play a lot better on both ends. The defense needs to step up as opponents have averaged 115.4 points on the Bulls in Chicago's last 10 games.
Final Mavericks-Bulls Prediction & Pick
I like the Bulls to win big tonight. The Bulls trio is coming off of a huge game and without Luka, the Mavs will be dead on a back-to-back.
Final Mavericks-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Bulls -5.5 (-108)
