The Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls play in an Eastern Conference battle on Monday. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hornets-Bulls prediction and pick.

The Hornets and Bulls will battle this evening as each team will look to fight for position on the Eastern Conference standings ladder. Chicago has been impressive this season, but has fell back to earth a bit of late. The Hornets are surging after a mini-slump, winning eight of their last 10 games. The Bulls are just 5-5 in their last ten after winning 8 of 11 to start the season. These teams are separated by just half a game in the East standings heading into this matchup. Chicago comes in as solid favorites over Charlotte in this spot, as Lonzo and LaMelo Ball will look to face off for the first time this season.

Here are the Hornets-Bulls odds for this Monday NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.

NBA Odds: Hornets-Bulls Odds

Charlotte Hornets +5.5 (-110)

Chicago Bulls -5.5 (-110)

Over 224 points (-110)

Under 224 points (-110)

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Why The Hornets Cover The Spread

The Hornets are hot again after going through a lull a couple of weeks ago. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are both making their case to be All-Stars, and Charlotte has the looks of a team that can maybe truly contend for one of the top-six playoff spots in the East. They will face a tough task on the road vs. a Bulls team who is looking to get back on the right track after losing three of their last four. The Hornets could be a good candidate to cover though, as they are getting nearly six points and have been playing better basketball than the Bulls of late.

The Hornets are 6-7 on the road this season, and 12-10 against the spread.

Why The Bulls Can Cover The Spread

Chicago will be looking to right the ship after suffering a couple of ugly losses of late. The Bulls lost the Houston Rockets a few days ago, and before that were blown out by the Indiana Pacers on their home floor. They suffered a close loss at home to a good Miami Heat team in their last game, so maybe they have ironed some things out and are getting back to playing good basketball.

Nikola Vucevic returned to the lineup around the time their struggles started, so some kinks may need to be worked out for the Bulls to get in sync again. Chicago has struggled defensively since Vucevic returned to the lineup, and it might be safe to assume they are a worse defensive team with him on the floor. Chicago will have a good chance at a win and cover at home vs. a Hornets team that gave up 146 points to the Rockets in their last game.

The Bulls are 6-4 at home this season and 13-8 against the spread.

Final Hornets-Bulls Prediction & Pick

Take the Hornets and the points on Monday night. Chicago hasn't quite found the right formula since Vucevic returned, and Charlotte has been playing well. This should be a high scoring, close game as neither team is playing great defense at the moment. The Hornets will need to tighten some things up from their last game vs. Houston on the defensive end, but they should be able to keep pace on the offensive end and have a chance to steal this game on the road.

FINAL HORNETS-BULLS PREDICTION & PICK: Hornets +5.5 (-110)