The Brooklyn Nets (25-14 SU, 14-24-1 ATS) visit the Chicago Bulls (27-11, 23-15) at United Center on Wednesday in a clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are 10-1 in their last 11 contests while the Nets have slipped of late, losing five of their last seven games.
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Nets opened as 1-point favorites on the road with the total set at 225.5 points but both numbers had moved significantly by Wednesday morning, with the spread flipping to favor the host Bulls at -1.5 and the total rising to 229 at most sites. The UNDER is 7-2 in the last nine meetings at United Center. Brooklyn is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games while Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last six outings.
Brooklyn News & Notes
The Nets lost another game on Monday, falling 114-108 to the lowly Portland Trail Blazers, who were without their top three players. Anfernee Simons led Portland with 23 points and 11 assists while Kevin Durant had a double-double for Brooklyn with 28 points and 10 boards. Kyrie Irving chipped in with 22 points and eight rebounds in his second game back while James Harden was out with a knee injury.
Brooklyn looked like the clear favorite in the East early on but has struggled since mid-December, going 4-6 over its last 10 games. Despite the team’s struggles, the injection of Irving back into the lineup means that the Nets should be back at full strength down the stretch. They’ve been the best team in the conference without their starting point guard and should be even better in the second half of the season.
Irving (ankle) and Harden (knee) are probable while Nic Claxton (hamstring) is questionable for Wednesday’s game.
Chicago News & Notes
The Bulls got back into the win column on Tuesday with an emphatic 133-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons after having their nine-game win streak snapped in their previous game Sunday. Nikola Vucevic scored 22 points to lead Chicago while DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and 12 boards for a double-double. Eight players scored in double figures as the Bulls matched a season high with 133 points.
Chicago is undoubtedly the hottest team in the East with 10 wins in its last 11 games, recently overtaking Brooklyn as the top seed in the conference. Wednesday’s game represents the third meeting of the season between the teams, with the Bulls taking the first two. Another Chicago win will cement the club’s position as the team to beat in the East.
Alex Caruso (health and safety protocols) is questionable.
How Brooklyn Will Cover
Both Irving and Harden are nursing injuries but are listed as probable for Wednesday. If the Nets get both players back, they should be confident in their ability to outscore the Bulls. Durant is the NBA’s top scorer, averaging nearly 30 points per game, and Brooklyn will be nearly unstoppable with the increased support around their star power forward.
How Chicago Will Cover
DeRozan and Zach LaVine are both averaging over 26 points per game, with the former scoring a whopping 29.3 points per contest through December. For all that’s been made of the Nets’ offensive stars, we can’t ignore how good DeRozan and LaVine have been. It’s hard to bet against the hottest team in the East and a club that’s 15-4 on its home court this season.
Computer Pick: Bulls -1.5
For more NBA predictions, visit our NBA Computer Picks page.