Chicago has to play this game on the road and is under .500 on the season, but should still be considered the favorite as it is playing a team which has struggled all year. The Nets are in the midst of a serious rebuild and currently have the worst record in the NBA.
The Bulls need this win badly and should be able to get it as long as they play to their capability.
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Odds Analysis
Chicago is 38-40 straight up and 39-39 against the spread. The Bulls have played in 39 road games this season and covered in 20 of them. Chicago has been favored 31 times overall but hasn’t performed very well, covering in only 12 of those attempts.
The Nets are 19-59 straight up and 38-37-3 against the spread. Brooklyn has played in 40 home games this season and covered in 18 of them. The Nets are no strangers to being the underdog as they have gotten points in all but seven games this season. They are 34-34-3 against the spread as the underdog.
Scheduling Situation
This will be the third-to-last game of the season for the Bulls, who have played well of late to make their playoff push. Chicago will finish up with home games against the Orlando Magic and again this Nets team, so certainly the scheduling is fortuitous.
The Bulls will be favored in all of these games and if they go 3-0 they will have a great shot at making the postseason. The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers also have identical records with the Bulls currently so a loss by any of them will be rough.
Chicago currently holds the tiebreaker to sit as the No. 7 seed but don’t want it to be that close when the season ends. The Bulls have an easy schedule and need to take advantage.
Injury Report
Bulls shooting guard Dwyane Wade has been sidelined since mid-March due to a fracture in his elbow, but reports have him returning for this game against Brooklyn. That is certainly something to watch closely, as a return for one of the team’s better players would certainly boost Chicago’s chances.
Since it would be his first game back after a long layoff, expectations should be tempered, and Wade could be on a minutes restriction. However, he is one of the few players on the Bulls able to create his own shot and would be a welcome piece down the stretch.
Wade is averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on the season. Chicago has actually been better statistically without Wade, but that is a small sample size and his presence should be an improvement, even if it’s limited in this matchup.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Nets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA from start to finish, and it is going to take awhile to turn things around. Brooklyn has been better at home than on the road this season but it still 12-28 in those matchups.
The Nets are wrapping up a disappointing campaign and give up a lot of points on the defensive end of the court. Chicago doesn’t score a ton but should be able to take advantage of some poor sequences from the Nets to take control and capture this much-needed win.
NBA Odds: Bulls 108, Nets 106
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