The Chicago Bulls will begin a West Coast swing with a Monday night matchup against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Bulls-Jazz prediction and pick, laid out below.
Chicago has gone 8-11 this season, 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have lost five of their last seven games to fall below .500, but will hope to turn things around with a win against the surprising Jazz, who have also struggled of late despite their hot start.
Utah has gone 12-10 this season to hold down the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Utah has lost seven of their last nine games, a horrific stretch of basketball. Currently, Utah is on an ugly four-game losing streak, with the four games decided by an average of seven points. Having had jumped out to an early lead in the West, the Jazz appear to be coming back down to reality.
Here are the Bulls-Jazz NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Bulls-Jazz Odds
Chicago Bulls: +1.5 (-110)
Utah Jazz: -1.5 (-110)
Over: 236 (-108)
Under: 236 (-112)
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
DeMar DeRozan has helped to mitigate the loss of Lonzo Ball and is leading the team with 26.2 points and 4.5 assists per game this season while adding 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. High-flying Zach LaVine is second with 21.0 points and 4.2 assists per game, also tied for the lead with 1.1 steals per game. LaVine has shot 36.5 percent from behind the arc. These two will be crucial on offense against a Jazz team that has surrendered the fourth-most points in the NBA over its past three games.
Nikola Vucevic is averaging a double-double, putting up 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. The battle for the boards will be crucial and Vucevic could have the edge against the Jazz's frontcourt. Ayo Dosunmu is the fourth and final Bull to average double-digit points, putting up 10.8 points per game.
Third-year forward Patrick Williams leads the team with 1.1 blocks and has averaged a career-high 9.8 points per game. Williams has also shot 45.6 percent from behind the three-point line. Goran Dragic is shooting 43.1 percent from behind the arc, providing instant offense off the bench. Utah is typically solid at defending the deep ball, but over their last three games, they've allowed opponents to convert from 3-point range at a 41.6 percent clip.
The Bulls themselves have shot 36.6 percent from behind the three-point line, which ranks 11th in the league. The team's 7.7 steals per game, is ninth in the league, which could be important against a Jazz team that turns the ball over 15.7 times per game. Chicago has scored 111.9 points per game, which is 17th in the league, but the defense has not been much better, surrendering 112.0 points per game.
Why The Jazz Could Cover The Spread
The Jazz seem to be coming back to reality after a surprisingly hot start. Lauri Markkanen, who was acquired in the Donovan Mitchell trade, leads the team with 21.7 points (a career high) and 8.4 rebounds per game. Jordan Clarkson is second with 19.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. If these two can put up some big scoring numbers against the Bulls, who surrender the 13th most points per game, they could certainly turn the tide.
The Jazz have been struggling without veteran leader Mike Conley, who has been dealing with an injury. He is not expected to play Monday, meaning the Jazz will be without their leading assister. With Conley out, Malik Beasley and Collin Sexton both have key roles to play and are averaging over 13 points per game. In the frontcourt, Kelly Olynyk has averaged 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds, while providing quality looks from 3-point range.
Utah's offense has been great, ranking fifth in scoring with 117.1 points per game, sixth with 12.2 offensive rebounds per game, and seventh with 27.3 assists per game. Defense has been a struggle for Utah, allowing 115.6 points per game, which ranks in the bottom third. Utah's high turnover rate may be to blame for their defensive struggles.
Final Bulls-Jazz Prediction & Pick
Two shaky defenses and a dominant Utah offense will easily push this total to the over, while the Bulls should be able to cover against a struggling Jazz team.
Final Bulls-Jazz Prediction & Pick: Chicago +1.5 (-110), over 236 (-108)
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