Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The struggling Chicago Bulls (5-12, 4th Central) pay a visit to the Barclays Center in the Big Apple on Sunday to play the Brooklyn Nets (6-8, 5th Atlantic), who will be playing the back half of a back-to-back after grappling with the Miami Heat on Saturday. Chicago was defeated by the Toronto Raptors 121-108 on Friday night as part of the In-Season Tournament. The Bulls have lost three straight and six of the last seven. Brooklyn was defeated by the Atlanta Hawks 147-145 on Wednesday and has also lost three straight. Chicago will play without Dalen Terry. Brooklyn will play without PG Dennis Smith Jr, SG Cam Thomas and PG Ben Simmons. 

When the shot clock's ticking, our NBA Picks are swishing!

Chicago is struggling to score but above average on defense

The Chicago Bulls are 28th in scoring with an average of 106.5 points per game. The Bulls are shooting 44.2% overall (27th) and 34.9% (23rd) from behind the 3-point line. Chicago is hitting 80.5% of its free throws which is 8th best. Zach LaVine is scoring an average of 22.3 points per game to lead Chicago and DeMar DeRozan is closed behind at 21.1 points per game. LaVine is shooting 45.4% and DeRozan shoots 44.3%. DeRozan is the dish leader with a team-best 4.4 assists per game. Chicago averages 21.8 assists and 11.6 turnovers per game for a 1.9 assists to turn-off ratio which is 14th. 

On defense, Chicago is holding opponents to an average of 111.9 points (10th) per game while allowing a field goal shooting percentage of 47% (17th) and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.8% (19th). Chicago is averaging 10.9 offensive and 30.1 defensive rebounds for a total of 41.0 boards per game led by Nikola Vecevic with an average of 10.3 per game.  Alex Caruso is the leader in steals with an average of 1.3 per game and DeRozan averages a team-best 0.9 blocked shots per game.

Break the defense and score with our elite NBA Picks!

Brooklyn is scoring well but giving up too much on defense

The Brooklyn Nets have the 11th-best scoring average at 115.4 points per game. Brooklyn’s field goal shooting percentage is 46.8% (18th), while its three-point shooting percentage is 38.5% (4th). Brooklyn is hitting 76.8% (20th) of its free throws. Mikal Bridges is scoring an average of 22.1 points per game to lead Brooklyn and Lonnie Walker IV is second with an average of 15.9 points per game. Brooklyn is playing without the injured Cam Thomas, who in the first eight games of the season scored an average of 26.9 points per game. Spencer Dinwiddie is the dish leader with an average of 5.8 assists per game. Brooklyn averages 25.8 assists and 13.3 turnovers per game for a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio which is 14th.

At the other end of the court. Brooklyn is allowing an average of 116.2 points (21st) per game while opponents are shooting 45.6% (8th) overall and 35.0% (8th) from 3-point territory.  Brooklyn is averaging 11.9 offensive and 35.7 defensive rebounds per game for a total of 47.6 and the king of the boards is Day’Ron Sharpe with an average of 6.6 rebounds per game. Bridges is the leader in steals with an average of 1.1 per game and Royce O'Neale is the swat leader with an average of 0.9 blocked shots per game.

Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

Insiders Status:

Rating:

Although Brooklyn will be playing its second game in as many days, don't expect the Nets to be affected in an adverse way. Brooklyn is short-handed at the moment but the Nets will face a Chicago Bulls Squad that has lost each of its last three and has struggled to put the ball in the hoop. Chicago is 27th in field goal shooting percentage and 23rd in three-point shooting percentage, which equates to 28th in scoring at 106.5 points per game. Brooklyn will dominate the boards, as the Nets are averaging 47.6 rebounds per game while Chicago averages 41.0 rebounds per game. Chicago has failed to cover the spread in four of the last five, while Brooklyn has covered the spread in 10 of its last 14 and when playing at home the Nets have covered four of the last five.

Prediction: Brooklyn Nets

Full-Game Total Pick

Insiders Status:

Rating:

Although Brooklyn plays an uptempo game at 101.5 (9th), Chicago is well down the list at 26th with a 98.2 pace. In addition, Brooklyn will be playing its second game in as many days and will likely play a bit more of a slowdown on Sunday. The total has finished over in five of Chicago's last seven games and in eight of the last 10 games that Chicago has played against a team from the Atlantic division. Chicago also struggles scoring as the Bulls scoring average is just 28th at 106.5 coins per game.

Prediction: UNDER

Kevin grew up in a sports-only household. Every afternoon was set to watching any sport that was on T.V. After years of watching sports he got introduced to the betting world, and soon stats, trends, and odds were Kevin's best friends. Now, almost 2 decades later, His life revolves around sports, writing about them, and betting on them. We are glad to have Kevin on our Winners & Whiners & StatSalt teams and you should be happy that we have him as well.