Central Division foes will collide when the Milwaukee Bucks (36-38) play the Chicago Bulls (45-29) at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 1 and can be seen on CSN-CHI and FSN-WI.
The Bucks are are hoping for a better outcome after their 101-88 loss to the Hawks on Monday. Despite the loss, Zaza Pachulia earned his 14th double-double this season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 111-80 win against the Knicks on Saturday. Jimmy Butler had a good game for Chicago, accounting for 18 points, five steals, and four assists.
The attacking Bulls offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. They rank fourth in the league at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 30.3), while Milwaukee gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 26th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 29.9).
The Bulls have emerged victorious in all three games against the Bucks this year, including an 87-71 win the last time these two teams met. Tony Snell was the game’s top overall scorer with 20 points.
The odds for Milwaukee and Chicago are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Bucks have gone 36-38 Straight Up (SU) and 40-32-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 6-8 SU and 8-5-1 ATS against divisional opponents. Milwaukee’s defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Bucks allow a .437 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league. Milwaukee is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.6 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Bulls have a record of 35-39 ATS and 45-29 SU. Against fellow division members, Chicago has a 7-6 SU and a 6-7 ATS record. The Bulls get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking second in the league with 1,465 made (19.8 per game). The Bulls have controlled the glass with an average of 45.8 rebounds per game, third in the league. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Bulls allow very few three-pointers on defense with 6.4 given up per game. One advantage for the Bulls could be Milwaukee’s high fouls per game average of 22.2.
With the Bulls’ last win against Milwaukee, their SU record is now 7-3 over the Bucks in the last 10 meetings. The Bulls also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Over the last 10 matchups, Chicago held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times. Milwaukee performed this feat one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
Milwaukee puts up an average of 97.7 points per game (ranked 22nd), while Chicago allows 98.4 points per game (ranked 11th).
Milwaukee ranks 21st in points per home game with 98.1 points, while Chicago ranks eighth in points allowed on the road with 98.8.
The Chicago Bulls won their last game by 31 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Milwaukee Bucks are 3-3. Chicago is 9-2 in blowouts this season.
The Chicago Bulls have a stellar 31-9 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Milwaukee Bucks are 19-24 when they score less than 100.
The Chicago Bulls have a 14-20 record when their opponents score 100 points or more. The Milwaukee Bucks have a 17-14 record when they reach the century mark.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 100.1, fourth-best in the NBA. The Bulls also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 10th).
The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the league with a FG% of 45.7%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Chicago Bulls are 12-17.
On average, the Milwaukee Bucks attempt 18.3 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Milwaukee has a winning 4-1 record, while Chicago is 11-13.
Milwaukee has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.46 this season (ranked 22nd). Chicago ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.66 (ranked 12th).
The Chicago Bulls are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.8 rebounds per game (ranked third). The Milwaukee Bucks rank 24th, rebounding 42.1 times each contest.
The Chicago Bulls rank eighth in offensive rebounding, while the Milwaukee Bucks rank 25th in defensive rebounding.
Though Milwaukee is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.7% (ranked first), Chicago has an exceptional 12-4 record SU when its TOV% is 16.7% or greater.
