NBA Odds: Bulls (even)
The Washington Wizards visit the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 3 and will air on CSN-DC+ and CSN-CHI.
The Bulls lost to the Clippers 96-86 on Sunday. Nikola Mirotic finished with 29 points to lead the game. The Wizards, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-95 win over the Pistons on Saturday. Marcin Gortat had a good game and claimed his 17th double-double of the season, recording 16 points and 17 rebounds.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Chicago is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking second in offensive rebound percentage at 28.1%. Meanwhile, the Wizards rank third in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 77.8%.
The Wizards have won two out of three against the Bulls this season, including a 105-99 victory in their last matchup. Derrick Rose scored a game-high with 32 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Bulls look to build on their records of 37-23 Straight Up (SU) and 27-33 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 21-13 SU and 15-19 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Chicago should have an edge at the free throw line. They average 20 made free throws per game, which is second-best in the NBA. As for the Chicago defense, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Bulls, who have allowed only 6.0 three-pointers to opponents per game.
On the other side, Washington has a SU record of 34-26 and an ATS record of 23-36-1. Most recently, Washington is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games.
Washington beat Chicago in their most recent meeting this season, moving its SU record against the Bulls to 7-3 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. The Wizards also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Chicago held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last 10, while Washington wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
On average, Washington puts up 98.7 points per game (ranked 19th), while Chicago gives up 98.5 points per game (ranked 11th).
Washington ranks 24th in points per away game with 95.5 points, while Chicago ranks 20th in points allowed at home with 99.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Washington Wizards are an exceptional 28-6. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls have a losing record of 10-16.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Wizards are just 6-20 this season. Chicago is a tremendous 27-7 when registering triple digits.
The Wizards have an offensive rating of 101.6 (ranked 17th), while the Bulls rank 12th for their defensive rating of 101.8.
The Washington Wizards have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 46.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Chicago Bulls have an underachieving 7-11 record.
On average, the Chicago Bulls attempt 21.6 three point field goals per game and the Washington Wizards attempt 16.3 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Chicago is 8-11, while Washington has a losing record of 1-2.
The Chicago Bulls rank 14th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.63. The Washington Wizards have a higher A/TO (1.66), ranking 11th.
Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second (46.0 per game), while Washington ranks 10th with 44.1 per game.
The Washington Wizards rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the Chicago Bulls rank eighth in defensive rebounding.
The Washington Wizards’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 13.8% this season. The Chicago Bulls have a winning 18-9 record when their TOV% is 13.8% or higher.
