The Bulls are hosting the Nets on Sunday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Chicago is favored by 6.5 points and this game carries a total of 222.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick for the game.
Bulls vs. Nets preview, prediction
Sunday is the second straight matchup between the Bulls and the Nets. In the first leg of this mini series, the Nets won 112-109 on their home floor this past Friday, snapping a five-game losing streak for Brooklyn. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 26 points in this victory, but the veteran will be rested tonight, which doesn’t bode well for Brooklyn’s chances of beating Chicago two games in a row.
Porter Jr. is leading the Nets with a career-high 25.8 PPG while shooting 49% from the field this season. The Nets are 12-27 and rank just 25th in net rating this season, and they are a far worse team without Porter Jr. Brooklyn is 0-7 with the forward inactive and the club is losing these games by an average of 15.3 PPG. Furthermore, with Porter Jr. off the floor, the Nets’ net rating is 10.0 points per 100 possessions worse at a terrible -10.5.
Cam Thomas will likely see a large usage rate with Porter Jr. sidelined, but Thomas is coming off the bench as he works his way back from a hamstring injury that nearly costed him two months of action and the guard seeing more volume isn’t good news for Brooklyn. Thomas hasn’t scored more than 17 points in six straight games and thanks to his terrible defense, Thomas ranks second-to-last in plus/minus for the Nets this season. Noah Clowney and Egor Demin will also see more work with Porter Jr. out, and while these two are solid role players, them leading Brooklyn to a road win tonight over the Bulls is unlikely.
Chicago is just 19-22 and ranks 24th in net rating this season, but the club easily could have won the first matchup of this mini series with the Nets if it weren’t for some late mistakes. Josh Giddey (hamstring) is nearing a return, but he is doubtful to play tonight and while not having him is a big loss, Chicago has won four of it’s last nine with Giddey sidelined and Coby White (calf) is healthy again for the Bulls, which is a big boost for the team, as the guard ranks third in plus/minus for Chicago this season.
White and Nikola Vucevic should lead the way for the Bulls in Giddey’s absence, and the club has the luxury of competing on it’s home floor tonight, where Chicago is a solid 12-9 this season.
Bulls vs. Nets pick, best bet
With the Bulls back home and Porter Jr. missing for the Nets, Chicago should have no issues winning this game. The Bulls are a subpar 20-21 ATS this season, but backing them to cover this 6.5-point spread is the right move.
As noted above, Brooklyn is 0-7 with Porter Jr. inactive this season with a 15.3 PPG margin of defeat and all but one of these seven losses has been by double-digits.
