The Chicago Bulls (50-32) will be at home when they square off against the Milwaukee Bucks (41-41) in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Apr. 20 and will air on TNT.
The Bulls beat the Hawks 91-85 the last time they played. Jimmy Butler had 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists for Chicago. The Bucks, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-100 loss to the Celtics in their last outing. Ersan Ilyasova had a team-high 21 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Bulls are attempting to build on their records of 50-32 Straight Up (SU) and 39-43 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 8-8 SU and 7-9 ATS against teams from their own division. Chicago has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 19 made free throws per game, which is third-best in the NBA. The Bulls have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the third-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 45.7 per game, while the Bucks rank 24th in the league with 42.1 per game. Transitioning to the Chicago defense, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Bulls, who have allowed only 6.6 three-pointers to opponents per game. The Bulls are the fifth-best team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 5.8 blocks per game. Milwaukee has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.1 fouls per game), so expect the Bulls to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Bucks head into the game with records of 45-35-2 ATS and 41-41 SU. Although they haven’t done very well in road games against divisional foes (3-5), Milwaukee does sport a nice 6-2 record ATS. Milwaukee’s defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents shooting only .437 from the field. They average 9.6 steals per game, good for tops in the league. Milwaukee makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking third in points off turnovers with an average of 19.2 per game.
Milwaukee won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Bulls still lead the head-to-head record, 7-3 SU, over the last 10 matchups. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Bulls have the advantage ATS. Both Chicago and Milwaukee have led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last 10.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
Chicago’s offense and Milwaukee’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Chicago scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Milwaukee allows 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Chicago and Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee allows 0.0 points per away game on average.
Chicago has a superb 35-11 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Milwaukee is 22-26 when it scores under 100.
The Chicago Bulls have a 15-21 record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Milwaukee Bucks have a 19-15 record when they register triple digits.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 99.7, fourth-best in the NBA. The Bulls also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 104.5 (ranked 11th).
Chicago averages fewer possessions per game than Milwaukee, with 96.5 compared to 97.7. However, the Bulls score an average of 1.045 points per possession, more than the 1.001 that the Bucks score.
Chicago has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.9%. Milwaukee is a poor 11-29 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Chicago makes an average of 21.7 assists per game (ranked 14th). Milwaukee ranks higher in assists with 23.6 (ranked seventh).
Chicago ranks near the top of the league in blocking at fifth (5.8 blocks per game). Milwaukee is ranked 11th, with 4.9 blocks per game.
Chicago is ranked sixth in offensive rebounding. Milwaukee ranks 25th in defensive rebounds.
The Milwaukee Bucks rank first in steals, with an average of 9.6 per game. When the Chicago Bulls allow at least 9 steals, they have a solid 23-13 record.
