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The Association continues on Wednesday night with this exciting Eastern Conference matchup. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Nets-Bulls prediction and pick.
The top two teams in the East square off tonight. The Brooklyn Nets are second in the East with a 25-14 record and are coming off a bad loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Chicago Bulls are the No. 1 seed in the East and have a 27-11 record. Chicago is coming off of a huge blowout win over the Detroit Pistons 133-87. That game wasn't even close from the start. This is going to be an exciting game to watch between two teams with a ton of talent. There will be some crucial players out for this game, so it will be on whoever steps up to win this game.
Here are the Nets-Bulls NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Nets-Bulls Odds
Brooklyn Nets: +1.5 (-108)
Chicago Bulls: -1.5 (-112)
Over: 234 (-110)
Under: 234 (-110)
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Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
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This could go a very different way depending on the availability of Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Those two players are among the best in the league, clearly, so if they don't play then the Nets will have a hard time covering. This is a road game so Irving should be available to play unless there are more roadblocks. Both Irving and Harden are listed as questionable so the Bulls might be able to play against the Nets without their two stars. Irving tweaked his ankle in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last time out. He came out and said that Nasir Little made a dirty play, but we all know that was not a dirty play. Irving needs to play in this game if the Nets want to have a better chance, and he needs to leave the drama aside.
The Nets are 18-8 against the East this year but are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. They have struggled lately and that is a big reason why the Bulls are increasing their lead in the East. Brooklyn is allowing a massive 114 points per game which is not a good sign at all. They need to improve their defense if they want to cover this spread against a very good Bulls team. They will be without LaMarcus Aldridge in this game. It will be on Kevin Durant to lead the team if both Irving and Harden are absent. That still puts them in a good position to be successful because Durant might be the MVP frontrunner at this point in the season. He leads the NBA in scoring at 29.8 points per game.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
The Bulls will clearly have a much better shot without Irving and Harden for the Nets. But either way, they will need to keep up their offensive firepower if they want to outscore the Nets. They are averaging 119 points in their last 10 games, resulting in a 9-1 record. The Bulls are just dominating in every facet of the game and it's really showing. They are 18-7 against the East this season and don't seem to be slowing down at all. DeMar DeRozen is putting himself into the MVP conversation also because of how well he's played and led the Bulls this season. He ranks 7th in the NBA in scoring at 26.2 points per game.
The Bulls are going to cover this spread with their offense. They will need to outscore the Nets who are clearly a very stacked roster. Luckily for them, the Nets defense is playing horribly as of late and so Chicago has a chance to take advantage of that. The team should be pretty much healthy except for the absence of Alex Caruso who is on the covid-19 list. Look for the Bulls to continue to share the wealth and shoot the lights out on offense. In their last 10 games, Chicago is shooting 51% from the field as a team.
Final Nets-Bulls Prediction & Pick
Even if Irving and Harden both play, I think the Bulls are going to cover this spread with how they are playing. These are the top two teams in the East, but right now are playing opposite styles of basketball. I expect the Bulls to continue their hot run of success and knock off the Nets at home. I don't think it will be as high-scoring as the over/under predicts, so consider taking the under at 234 (-110) as well. This should still be a very exciting game to watch on Wednesday night.
Final Nets-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Bulls 1.5 (-112) & under 234 (-110)
