Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic Prediction, Preview, and Odds

Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas - Championship Sunday

This Saturday, the (22-26) Chicago Bulls will travel to Orlando, FL to take on the (19-29) Orlando Magic. Tipoff will be at 7:00 PM EST inside the Amway Center. This will be the second time that these two teams have matched up this season, as the Magic won the first meeting 108-107.

The Chicago Bulls are coming into this one after losing to the Charlotte Hornets, 111-96. They struggled on both ends of the court, as they will have to be more efficient in this one if they want to challenge the Magic on the road.

The Magic are entering this game after taking down the Indiana Pacers, 126-120. They were smooth on the offensive end of the court, as they will have to stay hot in this one if they want to take down the Bulls at home.

This game was written/published before last night's results.

Can the Bulls Bounce Back?

The Chicago Bulls are currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are 12 games back from the Boston Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 114.2 points per game and they have shot 48.7% from the floor. This is the 16th most points scored per game and the fifth-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, they have the 22nd-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 26.3 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field. Chicago has also shown that they have multiple players that can heat up from behind the arc. They are shooting 36.4% from deep, which is the 12th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. The Chicago Bulls have also taken care of business at the charity stripe, as they are shooting 81.5% at the line. This is the fifth-highest free-throw shooting percentage in the NBA.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bulls are allowing 114.6 points per game and they have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.3% from the floor. This is the 18th least amount of points allowed per game and the 18th lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bulls have an adjusted defensive rating of 112.8, which is the 11th-lowest rating in the NBA. Chicago has struggled to consistently contest shots near the rim and on the perimeter, as they have allowed their opponents to shoot 36% from deep. This is the 17th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed. The Bulls are also grabbing 42.5 rebounds per game, which is the 21st most. They will have to crash the defensive glass if they want to keep the Magic from scoring second-chance points.

Injury Report: Lonzo Ball PG (Knee) and Javonte Green SG (Knee) are out. Goran Dragic PG (Conditioning) and Marko Simonovic C (Lower Body) are questionable.

Will the Magic Rebound at Home?

The Orlando Magic are currently in 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are 15 games back from the first-place Boston Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 111.3 points per game and they have shot 47.3% from the floor. This is the 27th most points scored per contest and the 14th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Magic have the 25th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Paolo Banchero continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 20.8 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field. Orlando has also shown that they are much more successful when they are attacking the rim and scoring inside the paint. They have only shot 35.3% from behind the arc, which is the 20th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. They have also shot 79.1% at the charity stripe, which is the 12th-highest free-throw shooting percentage in the NBA. They can't miss out on these free points and still expect to win these games.

On the defensive end of the court, the Magic are allowing 114.5 points per game and their opponents have shot 47.3% from the floor. This is the 17th least amount of points surrendered per contest and the 16th lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Magic have the 21st-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. The Orlando Magic have also shown that their perimeter defense is legit. They are only allowing their opponents to shoot 34.6% from behind the arc, which is the fifth-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed. Orlando is also snatching 42.6 rebounds per game, which is the 20th most.

Injury Report: Jonathan Isaac PF (Knee) and Chuma Okeke PF (Knee) are out.

Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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I will be taking the Bulls on the road and I am going to lay the points (-3.5). They are the better defensive team in this matchup, as I see them making it difficult for the Magic to score enough points to cover this spread. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bulls have the 11th lowest adjusted defensive rating and the Magic are only scoring the 27th most points per game. Orlando isn't anything special on the offensive end of the court, as the Bulls will keep them from scoring consistently throughout this game. Now, I also see the Bulls having success on the offensive end, as Orlando only has the 21st-lowest adjusted defensive rating. The Bulls will find different ways to score and slowly pull away throughout this game. The Bulls have also lost two straight, as I see them being highly motivated to bounce back in this game. The Magic aren't anything special on either end of the floor and Chicago can lock down defensively.

Pick the Bulls and lay the points (-3.5).

Prediction: Chicago Bulls -3.5

Full-Game Total Pick

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I will be taking the under in this matchup, as I don't believe either team will take enough shots to push this total over the number. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Magic have the 19th-highest adjusted tempo rating and the Bulls have the 12th-highest. The Magic will slow this game and limit the number of shots taken from the floor, which will keep this total under the number. I haven't been impressed by either offense either. The Bulls only have the 22nd-highest adjusted offensive rating and the Magic have the 25th-highest rating. They will both struggle to consistently put the ball in the basket, as the defenses will be the story in this game. Chicago will also be able to smother the Magic, as they have the 11th lowest adjusted defensive rating and the Magic are only scoring the 27th most points per game. Each team will walk the ball up the court and they won't look to score in transition.

Take the under and expect a slow-paced, defensive battle.

Prediction: Under

Mason graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and he has been watching SportsCenter since before he could walk. He has been crunching numbers since he could learn to count and nothing makes Mason happier in this world than talking sports, unless he is on the golf course! We are very happy to have added Mason to our team at StatSalt and you will be glad as well. Let's win some money!