Central Division foes will collide when the Chicago Bulls (31-30) face the Milwaukee Bucks (26-37) at the United Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 7 and can be seen on WPW and FWi.
The Bulls enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Rockets 108-100 on Saturday. Pau Gasol played a pivotal role, recording his 35th double-double of the season with 28 points and 17 rebounds. The Bucks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 104-96 loss against the Thunder on Sunday. Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a stellar performance while registering a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have upped their production over the last five games for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo has averaged 20.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks during that stretch, while Middleton has put up 25.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Bucks had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 106-101 win. Antetokounmpo put up 29 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulls have gone 31-30 Straight Up (SU) and 24-37 Against The Spread (ATS). They have the same record SU and ATS against divisional opponents, going 4-6. The Bulls are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .365 from beyond the arc. The rebounding edge goes to the Bulls in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 47.7 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Bulls prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the league with a .328 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range.
Over on the other bench, the Bucks have 26-37 SU and 31-30-2 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Milwaukee has a 6-5 SU and a 4-7 ATS record. Milwaukee is the fourth-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 18.9 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Milwaukee beat Chicago, but the win was not enough to overtake Chicago in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Bulls hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi
Notes
Chicago puts up an average of 101.6 points per game (ranked 18th). Milwaukee ranks 19th in points allowed per game with 103.3.
Chicago ranks 22nd in points per home game with 101.4 points, while Milwaukee ranks 18th in points allowed on the road with 104.3.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls are a superb 20-3. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Milwaukee Bucks have a poor record of 9-26.
The Chicago Bulls have a losing 11-27 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Milwaukee Bucks are 17-11 when they hit triple digits.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 101.5 (ranked 26th). The Bucks rank 21st for their defensive rating of 106.2.
Chicago averages 100.1 possessions per game, scoring 1.015 points on each possession. While Milwaukee averages fewer possessions per game with 96.8, the team scores more points per possession with 1.025.
Chicago has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.9%. Milwaukee is a subpar 11-33 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Milwaukee Bucks make 23.0 assists per game and the Chicago Bulls make 22.3. Milwaukee is ranked eighth, while Chicago is ranked 14th.
The Chicago Bulls average 5.6 blocks per game for a rank of seventh. The Milwaukee Bucks rank higher (sixth), earning 5.7 blocks each contest.
The Chicago Bulls rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Milwaukee Bucks rank 29th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Chicago makes 5.9 steals per game. Milwaukee is an underachieving 21-36 when it allows at least 5 steals.
