The Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Chicago Bulls in the third game of their first-round series. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Bucks-Bulls prediction and pick.
This is arguably the most important postseason game of the Friday slate. Milwaukee managed to scrape out a victory in the first game of this series but quickly followed that by showing up with a dud. The Bulls took game two by a score of 114-110, scoring a huge road victory against the defending champions. Now Chicago has an opportunity to wrestle control of the series away from the Bucks in the United Center. This should be a fantastic game, so let's get into the pick.
Here are the Bucks-Bulls NBA playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Playoffs Odds: Bucks-Bulls Odds
Milwaukee Bucks: -2.5 (-112)
Chicago Bulls: +2.5 (-108)
Over: 222.5 (-110)
Under: 222.5 (-110)
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Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
Two games into the series and it is still apparent that the Bulls have absolutely no answer to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is coming off of a monster showing in which he dropped 30 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. The Bulls just don't have a good matchup for him on their team, as forward Patrick Williams is far too small to have any success. Center Nikola Vucevic has long been known as a defensive liability, so he's not an option. There's no clear solution for Chicago, so it's fair to expect Antetokounmpo to dominate once again in this game.
There's reason to believe that the Bulls will regress from their game two explosions here. Chicago shot a ridiculous 48% from three-point range while hitting 93% of their free throws last time out, two completely unsustainable numbers. Despite those ridiculous shooting numbers, the Bulls only won by four points. They'll almost certainly come down to Earth in this game, and that could be enough for Milwaukee to land a cover.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
The Bucks took a huge hit to their lineup in game two. Starting small forward Khris Middleton sprained his MCL, and he's already been ruled out for the rest of the series. He's one of Milwaukee's best scorers, but his defensive contributions were perhaps even more important. Middleton was capable of guarding four positions on the floor, a huge benefit against a Bulls team that boasts two elite scoring forwards in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Without Middleton, the Bucks will struggle to score consistently and switch effectively on defense.
Home court advantage is going to be huge in this one. The Bulls went a respectable 27-14 at home this season while going 19-22 on the road. The fact that they managed to score a road victory in this series was nothing short of a miracle. Now their chances seem much better, as they'll play in front of a rabid Chicago crowd that hasn't seen playoff basketball since 2017.
Final Bucks-Bulls Prediction & Pick
This game will be close, but Chicago should cover at the very least. The Bulls are healthier, they're coming off a win, and they have their home floor. There's a good chance of an upset win here too.
Final Bucks-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Chicago Bulls: +2.5 (-112)
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