NBA picks: Bulls vs. Suns prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Monday, Jan. 22

Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen are considered questionable, while Bol Bol has been ruled out. This means the three stars for Phoenix are playing. The Suns are 5.5-point favorites now and the total is at 227. I still like the Suns as the ATS pick and the over on the new number at 227.

Two teams on winning runs will clash Monday night as the Chicago Bulls (21-23) head to the desert to face the Phoenix Suns (24-18). The Bulls have won two in a row and six of their last eight, while the Suns have rattled off five straight victories including a win over the Pacers Sunday. This is the second meeting between these teams this season, with Phoenix winning 116-115 in overtime in Chicago. Devin Booker did not play in that contest for the Suns.

Zach LaVine is out for the Bulls as he deals with an ankle injury, while Patrick Williams and Andre Drummond are probable. The Suns won’t release an official injury report until later in the day but we’ll see how the team manages Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal after both logged considerable minutes in Sunday’s win.

The Suns are 5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, and the total comes in at 228.5. Phoenix is -198 on the moneyline, while Chicago is +164.

Bulls vs. Suns, 9 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Suns -5

The Bulls are 5-3 ATS during this recent winning stretch, while the Suns covered twice during their five-game winning streak. Chicago has learned how to play without LaVine and even done well during that time, going 11-7 without him in the lineup. The big question for Phoenix is the status of Durant. He’s had two major injuries in February in each of the last two seasons, and the Suns won’t take chances unnecessarily. Booker should be in for this game, which helps Phoenix.

Barring a significant part of the rotation being ruled out for this game, I’ll take the Suns to get a comfortable win over Chicago. Phoenix has looked like a championship-caliber side of late, and is only -1 in the fourth quarter over the last five games. As long as two of Booker, Beal and Durant suit up, I’ll take the Suns here.

Over/Under: Over 228.5

The first game went over this mark because of the overtime period but these teams have generally been trending towards the over on the season. The Bulls are 23-21 to the over on the year and 11-9 to the over as the road team. The Suns are 22-20 to the over on the year and 14-10 to the over at home. Neither side is particularly elite defensively, so there should be enough offense overall to push the total over this relatively modest line.