The Brooklyn Nets will travel to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and will air on CSC and YES.
The Bulls got blown out by the Wizards 117-96 on Wednesday. Doug McDermott was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 20 points. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 131-114 win over the 76ers on Tuesday. Bojan Bogdanovic led the game in scoring with 44 points on 17-for-27 shooting.
Brook Lopez has been on fire over the last five games for the Nets, averaging 24.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 3.0 blocks.
Points at the line might be difficult to come by for the Bulls in this contest. They are 26th in the league in free throw attempt rate (24.2), while Brooklyn is among the league’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a free throw attempt rate of just 23.3, first in the NBA). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Nets. They are 27th in the league in free throw attempt rate (24.1), while the Bulls are among the league’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 25.0, ranking fifth in the NBA).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Nets had the upper hand in the most recent game, a close 105-102 win. Lopez played a big role with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bulls look to improve upon their records of 33-33 Straight Up (SU) and 27-39 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 33-33 SU and 27-39 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are a dangerously accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .367 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Chicago has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 47.2 rebounds per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Bulls, who have allowed only 7.0 three-pointers to opponents per game.
On the other side, the Nets head into the game with records of 34-32-1 ATS and 19-48 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Brooklyn has gone 19-48 SU and 34-32-1 ATS.
The Nets’ win over Chicago in their last clash couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Bulls still lead 7-3 SU. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Bulls have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi
Notes
“Chicago is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Chicago is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games “.
“Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home”.
“Chicago is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Brooklyn”.
“Chicago is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Brooklyn”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 9 games when playing Brooklyn”.
“Chicago is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Brooklyn”.
Chicago’s offense and Brooklyn’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Chicago scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Brooklyn allows 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Chicago and Brooklyn are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Chicago puts up an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Brooklyn gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Chicago Bulls lost their last game by 21 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Brooklyn Nets are 0-7. Chicago is 4-7 in blowouts this season.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Brooklyn Nets have an 8-7 record. When scoring fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls have a subpar record of 10-19.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Nets are just 11-41 this season. Chicago is a solid 23-14 when registering triple digits.
The Nets have an offensive rating of 101.3 (ranked 27th), while the Bulls rank 13th for their defensive rating of 103.5.
The Chicago Bulls average a field goal percentage of 43.9% this season. The Brooklyn Nets have an abysmal record of 11-40 when opponents have a FG% of 43.9% or greater.
On average, the Chicago Bulls attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the Brooklyn Nets attempt 17.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Chicago is 5-7, while Brooklyn has a losing record of 1-3.
The Chicago Bulls, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.64, rank 13th in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets have a lower A/TO (1.53), ranking 20th.
Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second (47.2 per game), while Brooklyn ranks 23rd with 42.3 per game.
Chicago is ranked second in defensive rebounds, while Brooklyn ranks 19th in offensive rebounds.
Chicago has forced an average turnover percentage of 11.1% this season. Brooklyn has a poor 18-43 record when its TOV% is 11.1% or higher.
