The Chicago Bulls head to the Bay to take on the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Golden State hosts the Bulls looking to end a three-game losing skid at home. The Warriors have played well at home in 2021, which is promising for those looking at this as a potential bounce back situation. The Bulls have been average on the road, going 10-9 on the year. This will be the second matchup between these two teams this season. Golden State won the first game on a last second three-pointer by Damian Lee. The line opened at four and a half points in favor of Chicago and has since dropped a whole two points. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Bulls-Warriors prediction and pick.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Bulls-Warriors odds.
NBA Odds: Bulls-Warriors Odds
Chicago Bulls -2.5 (-110)
Golden State Warriors +2.5 (-110)
Over 225.5 Points (-110)
Under 225.5 Points(-110)
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
The Chicago Bulls made a huge splash at the deadline as they acquired All-Star Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic. Despite the huge move, the Bulls are still coming off of a third-straight loss against the Spurs. They fell behind by as much as 26 points in that game. With that being said, Chicago has still been very good against below .500 teams this season with a record of 16-8. They will be up against a Warriors squad that is currently 22-24 on the year and struggling of late.
Nikola Vucevic will be the X-factor for his club. In his debut for the Bulls, he dropped 21 points on 9-16 shooting and grabbed nine boards in the loss. He has had a great 10 game stretch, averaging 21 points per game on 56.3% shooting. Nikola adds a huge spark to what is already a potent offense. The Bulls are averaging 113 points per game on 48% shooting. They have a great matchup tonight against a Warriors team that has gone 0-4 ATS in their last four games. Without Steph, Golden State has averaged just 109 points per game in 2021.
Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread
The Golden State Warriors have been mediocre this year, but much better in the Bay. The Warriors are 13-9 at home this season and still just two games out of the playoff picture. Stephen Curry has returned to MVP form. His squad is young and energetic, which has translated to some success. Golden State averages 42.7 rebounds per game and is 10-2 when winning the battle on the boards. This may be tough to do against Vucevic, but Golden State will add an emphasis to this aspect of the game with no Steph on the floor.
Andrew Wiggins (18.1 ppg) will be the X-factor for the Golden State Warriors. He has played very well of late and has shot 39.3% from three this season. He will look to facilitate and get his streaky floormates on some runs. Kelly Oubre and James Wiseman have been good in spurts and will need to play uptempo basketball against the Bulls subpar defense. If Jordan Poole can continue his stretch of dominance as well, Golden State should be in a good spot to pull off an upset win.
Final Bulls-Warriors Prediction & Pick
I don't see much disparity regarding either side, but I do see great value in the total. 225.5 points is not a lot for two teams that can light up the scoreboard on any given night and typically get lit up every night. Both are in a good bounce-back spot as the opposing defenses have been god-awful. Golden State has allowed 130 points per game over their last two and Chicago seems to give up at least 115 on a regular basis. The over has hit in two of Chicago's last three and Vucevic is in a good spot to have a dominant performance against a below-average Warriors frontcourt.
FINAL PICK: Over 225.5 (-110)
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