Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview, and Odds

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On Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls head to the Paycom Center for a road meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls fell to the Miami Heat. The Thunder crushed the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday night. The tip is at 8:10 PM ET. Oklahoma City opens as a home favorite.

Thunder Hammer Trail Blazers

The Oklahoma City Thunder ran away with the game early against the Portland Trail Blazers, slaughtering them 134-91 on the road Saturday. They led by as many as 47 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and Chet Holmgren added 16 points and six rebounds. 

They were on fire. The Thunder shot 60.5% (49 of 81) from the floor, 61.1% (22 of 36) from 3-point range and 100% (14 of 14) from the free-throw line. Eleven different players hit at least one 3. Coach Mark Daigneault started sending his starters to the bench with about five minutes left in the third quarter and they did not return. Isaiah Joe finished with 15 in limited minutes. “I think it just showed our mental fortitude to be able to come off a tough overtime game and be able to focus to execute our game plan for today's game,” Joe said to Associated Press reporters after the game. “We had a good game plan coming in and everyone took it upon themselves to be a pro and just get ready.” The Thunder played without starter Jalen Williams, who hurt his left hip during the game against the Warriors and was sore on Sunday morning. Cason Wallace started in his place. He will be back for this contest. 

Bulls Fall at Home

The Chicago Bulls were outpaced from the opening tip in a 118-100 loss against the Miami Heat. Coby White led the Bulls with a season-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points, and DeMar DeRozan added 15. Zach LaVine had just 13 points on a season-low nine shot attempts. Alex Caruso also finished with 13 points along with a block and a steal.  For a fourth consecutive game, the Bulls faced a large deficit in front of their home fans, falling behind 12-2 less than three minutes in after Duncan Robinson made two early 3-pointers. For the defensive-minded Caruso, six straight games with double-digit scoring is the longest streak of his career. “We weren’t down 20-1 this game,” LaVine said to Associated Press reporters, referencing the Bulls early deficit Saturday night. “So that’s a positive.” 

Changes may be on the horizon for the Bulls. Entering this contest with the Thunder, they are 5-10 and headed toward a potential blow-up of the team. After shooting 10 times against the Heat on Saturday, LaVine took nine shots in this one. Those are his lowest and second-lowest field goal attempts in a game this season. The last time LaVine took less than 10 shots in a game was last February when he took eight shots in a win where the team only took a total of 79 shots.

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Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Thunder were red-hot against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thunder showed no sign of fatigue in the early going, building a 33-18 lead in the first quarter. By midway through the second, Oklahoma City had stretched the lead to 51-29, and the team went into halftime ahead 76-43. That allowed them to sit for the remainder of the second half, and although it was the second game in two nights, they had a lot of free time. They face off against Chicago after three days off, and with the Bulls dealing with uncertainty regarding Zach LaVine and trade rumors, I expect another fast start. Take the Thunder to win and cover.

Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

The Thunder are seventh with respect to pace entering this contest with the Bulls. Chicago is ready to deal one of their star players, depending on what type of deal they can get, so there is a lot of turmoil in that locker room. Defensively, they have been horrible, and the Thunder will run circles around a disengaged group. Oklahoma City is top 10 in offensive rating, but the difference this year has been their defense. Entering this game, they are sixth in defensive rating, a far cry from where they have been over the last three seasons. The improved defense will get them over the hump in a tough Western Conference, and they will hammer the Bulls at home. Take the under. 

Prediction: UNDER

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