The Milwaukee Bucks will head to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Bucks-Bulls prediction and pick.
Milwaukee enters this game with a sour taste in their mouth after suffering a seven-point loss against the Houston Rockets last night. Chicago has been the epitome of mediocrity lately, going 3-3 over their last six games. Which disgruntled Eastern Conference club will get back on track with a win tonight?
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Bucks-Bulls odds.
NBA Odds: Bucks-Bulls Odds
Milwaukee Bucks -1 (-105)
Over 220.5 Points (-110)
Under 220.5 Points (-110)
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
The Milwaukee Bucks seem to have locked themselves into the three seed in the Eastern Conference come playoff time. They are constantly looked at as the best team in the east and still have the potential to be just that. There is still an outside chance that Milwaukee can climb the standings, but it seems unlikely after they suffered a devastating loss against the Houston Rockets last night. The defense has been brutal as they allowed 143 points in regulation to the worst team in the NBA.
The Bucks held their breath when Giannis Antetokounmpo went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Injury or not, the Bucks were still going to lose this game because they gave up a whopping 50 points to Kevin Porter Jr. The lethal offense tried to keep up as Kris Middleton and Bryn Forbes scored 33 and 30 points respectively. Jrue Holiday delivered a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists as well. We have to assume that the loss last night was a wake up call and the defense will be much better for the Bucks in this game. Milwaukee is 10-0 in their last 10 games against the Bulls.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
The Chicago Bulls currently sit just two games out of a play-in spot and will need to win virtually every game down the stretch as it seems the Wizards have forgotten how to lose games. The Bulls prayers have come true as it appears Giannis will not be available for Milwaukee in this game. Chicago will almost certainly come out firing from deep after watching the Rockets drop 25 three's on the Bucks last night.
Chicago has dearly missed their leading scorer Zach LaVine as he's been out for the past eight games due to COVID. The Bulls have stayed afloat without the young star, going 4-4 over the eight-game stretch. Chicago lost their last game against New York despite a stellar performance from Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls big-man went for 26 points and 18 rebounds as he did all he could to keep his team in the game. The lack of depth proved to be the deciding factor for Chicago in the game against the Knicks. The Bulls with have to shoot at an extremely high clip if they want to replicate the success that the Rockets had against Milwaukee just last night.
Final Bucks-Bulls Prediction & Pick
The market has created phenomenal value for the Milwaukee Bucks after last night's loss and Giannis Antetokounmpo's potential absence. I see the Bucks loss last night as a wake-up call and added fuel to come out with a ton of energy against the Bulls on the defensive end. Chicago struggles to put the ball in the bucket, especially from deep. Milwaukee still has plenty of elite options on the offensive end and can certainly put up over 110 points without their MVP candidate. The Bucks are too good to replicate last night's performance and will come out clicking on all cylinders.
FINAL PICK: Milwaukee Bucks -1 (-105)
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