The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are jockeying for playoff position in the Eastern Conference when the two meet at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday at the United Center in Chicago.
The Bulls are off to a surprisingly strong start at 39-24, third in the East, and doing so with key injuries to Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso for much of, if not the entire season.
Milwaukee (38-25) has had its depth limited with injuries to key reserve players, including George Hill, Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton of late. Though they’re in the fourth spot in the East, the Bucks’ championship odds are at +650, far better than Chicago’s +3,000.
The lone previous meeting was a 94-90 Bucks win in a defensive showing. Outside of DeMar DeRozan’s 35 points on 9-of-18 shooting, Nikola Vucevic and Matt Thomas were the only other double-figure scorers for Chicago, which shot 36% from the field and 18% on 3s.
The line opened at Bucks -4.5 with an over/under of 240, which have no movement as of this writing.
Bulls’ Offensive Efficiency
That previous meeting was a one-off as the Bulls are the most efficient team in the NBA. They are eighth in scoring at 112.5 points per game and tops in field goal percentage at 48.4%, and 3-point percentage at 37.6%. With Ball and Caruso out, the play of the point guards has been strong.
Coby White is averaging 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 40.6% from 3-point range. Ayo Dosunmu is playing better than his second-round draft selection. He is averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game with shooting lines of .527/.410/.677.
DeRozan is having an MVP-caliber season averaging 28.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. The acquisition of Vucevic has been key on both ends as he averages a double-double of 17.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Bucks Clean the Glass
Milwaukee has the sixth scoring team in the league at 113.7 points per game and are second in rebounding at 46.7 boards per game. The Bucks are also sixth in 3-point shooting, converting 36.3% of attempts.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. His MVP-like numbers and strong rebounding is due to him playing center in smaller lineups with the injury to Lopez. Still, the Bucks are rounding into form.
Though they are in a tough stretch, going 1-6 over their last seven games against the spread. The issues have been defensively, as the over has hit in nine of their last ten games.
Betting Prediction
Chicago has been sweet at home, boasting a 24-9 record. Milwaukee is 16-13 on the road.
The Bulls’ surprise is seen in their against the spread record, touting a 36-26-1 mark. They are also 33-29-1 on over/unders. Meanwhile, Milwaukee is 27-36 against the spread and 32-31 on over/unders.
The first meeting when 184 points were scored seems much more of an anomaly. Credit the defenses for forcing tough shooting. This game should be higher scoring as both teams feature league-average defenses.
Oddsmakers think the Bucks will win, but they’ve played close games against competitive teams of late. Milwaukee can pull even and should with a win, covering the 4.5 spread.
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