Timberwolves vs. Bulls player props: NBA odds, picks, best bets for Tuesday
Technically, they’re still in the playoff race; if the playoffs started today, they’d be the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, traveling to Miami for a play-in game.
But the season doesn’t end today for the Bulls; it probably ended before it began. If not then, it was certainly done when All-Star guard Zach LaVine suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss 17 games before the Bulls announced over the weekend he would undergo season-ending surgery.
These things happen, but the timing couldn’t have been worse for the Bulls, and not because they had plans to do what the Heat did last year when they emerged from the play-in game and made it to the NBA Finals.
Chicago was already planning its rebuild, and LaVine was a valuable trade piece that could have accelerated the massive work that lies ahead for GM Marc Eversley and the rest of the front office. While he could still be dealt before Thursday’s deadline, the asking price has been chopped for a player who signed a max deal in 2022 and can’t help a contender this season.
That doesn’t mean others won’t be traded. In fact, Coby White, who is enjoying a breakout campaign in Chicago, is probably the only Bulls player off the table.
Another, Ayo Dosunmu, might also be on Eversley’s very short list. He is the focus of a player prop we really like in Tuesday night’s game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves at the United Center.
- Spread: Timberwolves -5.5 (-108), Bulls +5.5 (-112)
- Total: Over 217 (-110), Under 217 (-110)
- Moneyline: Timberwolves -215, Bulls +180
Timberwolves vs. Bulls prop: Ayo Dosunmu over 12.5 points
The third-year shooting guard from Illinois has done a nice job while receiving regular playing time in LaVine’s absence. Since Jan. 13, he is averaging 14.8 points and shooting 46 percent from 3-point range in 32 minutes per game.
He has gone over his Tuesday night line six times in his last seven games, and in five of those he scored 16-plus points. Even the one time he failed to reach it, he scored 11.
We have no idea why this line is set so low, but that’s not going to stop us from taking advantage.
Pick: Ayo Dosunmu over 12.5 points (-110 at bet365)
