The defending champs are back in Milwaukee looking to close out the series against the Bulls! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Bulls-Bucks prediction and pick.

 

The Bulls are struggling right now and it's at the worst possible time. Chicago started off the season on fire and even led the Eastern Conference for a good amount of the season. Now, they are without their two starting guards Lonzo Ball and Zach Lavine who are out for different reasons. Lavine's absence is basically the nail in the coffin for the Bucks as they took advantage in Game 4, dominating the Bulls 119-95.

The Bucks look very good, but they are also dealing with a major absence. Khris Middleton is out for at least another three weeks with a knee injury. George Hill has also been out and that is another veteran who could benefit the team. All in All the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo and that is enough to get past the Bulls. Expect the Bucks to advance to play the Boston Celtics in the second round after tonight.

Here are the Bulls-Bucks NBA Playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Playoffs Odds: Bulls-Bucks Odds

Chicago Bulls: +12 (-110)

Milwaukee Bucks: -12 (-110)

Over: 217 (-110)

Under: 217 (-110)

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Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread

This is going to be a tough game for the Bulls to win without two of their best players. This spread is doable to cover, however, as it currently sits at 12 points. The Bulls are clearly the underdogs here and playing on the road in Milwaukee will be an extremely difficult environment to play in. The Bucks are the defending champs, the fans in Milwaukee will be very loud making it tough for the Bulls to get comfortable.

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With all that said, it's still possible the Bulls pull something off here. DeMar DeRozan played like an MVP candidate for the entire season until the final month of the year. Many other players stepped up their game which resulted in DeRozan not ending as a finalist. Either way, he played great all season long and the Bulls are where they are at because of him. The Los Angeles native needs to have a huge game tonight. One that was similar to Game 2 where he went off for 41 points in the 4-point victory.

If DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Alex Caruso all play well, then the Bulls might be in this game late and potentially have an opportunity to cover this spread. Caruso will play a majority of Lavine's minutes and hope his defensive efforts keep them in the game.

Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread

The Bucks will look to keep their foot on the gas pedal as they are back home tonight. This is surely a game they can win, but covering at 12 points may not be easy. They did defeat the Bulls by 24 points even with Lavine playing for the Bulls. Because of that, I believe the Bucks have a good chance to keep momentum and advance to the next round tonight.

In the dominant win in Game 4, The Greek Freak scored 32 points with 17 rebounds to go along with it. Who is going to stop that? The answer is no one. You can only hope to contain him just a little. Yes, Antetokounmpo dominated but it wasn't his play that really put the Bulls into a panic. It was the lights-out shooting from backup guard Grayson Allen who elevated the Bucks' play. He shot 10-12 (6-7 from three) and ended with 27 points in 28 minutes. If Allen repeats that performance there just won't be anything the Bulls can do.

Caruso will need to be defending Allen and Jrue Holiday all night long. Holiday ended with 26 points and seven assists himself so the Bucks will be too much for the Bulls to handle tonight.

Final Bulls-Bucks Prediction & Pick

This series looks to be over. The Bulls had a great run this season but it will take a bad game from the Bucks tonight and the strongest game of the year for the Bulls just to force a Game 6. The Bulls might hang around and keep it close, but the Bucks know that they need all the rest they can get going into a matchup with the Celtics. Look for them to put a stamp on this series.

Final Bulls-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Bucks -12 (-110)