NBA Odds: Bulls (even)
The Chicago Bulls (36-22) will have their hands full against the top shooting defense in the league when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (13-43) at the United Center. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 27 and will air on FSN-N and WPWR.
The Bulls lost to the Hornets 98-86 on Wednesday. Pau Gasol put in a solid effort despite the loss for Chicago, recording 25 points and 13 rebounds to earn his 38th double-double of the season. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are coming off a 97-77 win over the Wizards on Wednesday. Kevin Martin led the game in scoring with 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
The defense for Chicago should have a clear edge in terms of effective field goal percentage. They rank fourth in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 47.6%), while the offense of Minnesota is 28th with a mark of 46.5%. Furthermore, getting to the line could play a crucial role for the Timberwolves. They rank fifth in the league in free throw attempt rate (30.1). However, the Bulls are among the best in the NBA at keeping opponents off the charity stripe (ranking second at 23.8).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulls won the first game 106-105. Despite the loss, Martin was the game’s leading scorer with 33 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Bulls are attempting to build on their records of 36-22 Straight Up (SU) and 26-32 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 15-9 SU and 11-13 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Bulls are an impressive shooting team from the line with a .785 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Transitioning to the Chicago defense, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Bulls, who have allowed only 6.1 three-pointers to opponents per game. An area where the Bulls are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average an NBA-best 6.4 blocks per game.
Across the court, the Timberwolves head into the game with records of 24-30-2 ATS and 13-43 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Minnesota has gone 8-15 SU and 9-14 ATS. Minnesota is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the NBA. The Timberwolves average 12.3 offensive rebounds per game, making them the second-best team in the league for that category.
Chicago won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Timberwolves to 9-1 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Bulls also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Chicago held the edge in all three of these categories six times in the last 10 meetings. Minnesota never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chicago’s last 10 games.
Chicago is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 7 games at home.
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Chicago is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Chicago ranks 10th in points per game with 101.6, while Minnesota ranks 29th in points allowed with an average of 105.8 given up.
Minnesota ranks 13th in points allowed per road game (109.6 PPG), while Chicago ranks 10th in points per home game with 103.0.
In its last game, Minnesota won by a 20-point margin. Chicago is 8-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Minnesota has a 1-8 record in blowouts.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 7-6 record. When scoring fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls have a losing record of 9-15.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have an underachieving 6-37 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls are 27-7 when they hit the century mark.
The Timberwolves have an offensive rating of 99.7 (ranked 25th), while the Bulls rank 12th for their defensive rating of 101.8.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average a field goal percentage of 43.5% this season. The Chicago Bulls have split their games 17-17 when opponents have a FG% of 43.5% or greater.
On average, the Minnesota Timberwolves make 21.9 assists per game and the Chicago Bulls make 21.7. Minnesota is ranked 11th, while Chicago is ranked 14th.
Chicago averages a league-best 6.4 blocks per game. Minnesota ranks 27th with 4.0 blocks per game.
The Chicago Bulls rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Minnesota Timberwolves rank 29th in defensive rebounding.
Making 8.4 steals per game, Minnesota is ranked eighth in the NBA. Chicago has a winning 20-12 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
