The Chicago Bulls begin a short west coast trip as they take on the Phoenix Suns Monday night. Below we will continue our NBA odds series with a Bulls-Suns prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Bulls are just two games below .500 this season, and they have won their last two games. Chicago has already played the Suns once this season, but that was at the beginning of November. In that game, the Bulls were led by Nikola Vucevic's 26 points. DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine each had 22 points while Alex Caruso had 19 points off the bench. As a team, the Bulls shot just 43.8 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from three. For this game, the Bulls will be without Zach Lavine as he deals with a sprained ankle.
The Suns are 23-18 this season. They are coming off a game against the Indiana Pacers Sunday night. Phoenix was able to beat the Bulls by one point in overtime back in November. In that game, Grayson Allen had 26 points while Kevin Durant dropped 25. Jusuf Nurkic finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds to pace the way in the paint. Devin Booker did not play in the game. The Suns shot 42.2 percent from the field in the loss and 39.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Bulls-Suns Odds
Chicago Bulls: +5 (-110)
Moneyline: +164
Phoenix Suns: -5 (-110)
Moneyline: -196
Over: 229 (-110)
Under: 229 (-110)
How to Watch Bulls vs. Suns
Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
TV: NBC Sports Chicago, AZ Family Sports
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Bulls do not have Lavine, but they play well without him. When they do not have Lavine in the lineup, the Bulls are 11-8. In those games, they average 112.8 points per game. That is four points higher than their average with him. The Bulls play better team basketball, and shoot better when Lavine is off the court. If that can continue in this game, the Bulls will cover the spread.
The Bulls on the season as a whole are pretty good on the defensive end of the court. They allow the ninth-fewest points per game, and fifth-fewest field goals made. This is because Chicago really slows down the pace of play. The Suns are comfortable playing this way, but it does get hard to make shots against the Bulls. If the Bulls can continue their solid defense, they will win this game.
Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Suns are playing well, and they have their big-3 healthy. Because of this, the Suns are a very dangerous team. As mentioned, the Suns are very comfortable slowing the pace down. However, this is okay because the Suns have the ninth-best field goal percentage this season.
One thing the Bulls do not do well is close out on shooters. There always seems to be a three-point shooter open against them if they movement is right. With that, the Suns need to be able to knock down their threes. Chicago allows the second most threes per game, and the Suns made 19 against Chicago in the first matchup. If the Suns can get hot from three again, they will win this game.
Final Bulls-Suns Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a close game. I could also see the over hitting in this one. As for the winner, I like the Suns to win this game straight up. They are playing well, and that should continue.
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Final Bulls-Suns Prediction & Pick: Suns ML (-196), Under 229 (-108)