The Chicago Bulls (3-2) face the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2) at the United Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Nov. 5 and will air on TNT and C+D.
The Bulls got blown out by the Hornets 130-105 on Tuesday. Jimmy Butler was the game’s high scorer with 26 points. The Thunder, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 103-98 loss against the Raptors on Wednesday. Kevin Durant had a team-high 27 points.
The Bulls are a small underdog, with Oklahoma City favored by two. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 208 points. The Bulls have gone 3-2 Straight Up (SU) and 1-4 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulls are a dangerous three-point shooting team with 9.0 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
On the other side, the Thunder have a record of 2-3 ATS and 3-2 SU. The Thunder rank second in the league in scoring, averaging 114.2 points per game. The Thunder rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking fifth in the league with 46 made (9.0 per game). The Thunder are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 50.6 rebounds per game. When it comes to defending the rim, the Thunder are the best in the league with an average of 8.4 blocks per game.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Oklahoma City came out on top, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. With a 6-4 record, the Thunder also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 7 games at home.
Chicago is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games at home.
Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chicago’s last 12 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Chicago is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Chicago is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Chicago is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City ranks second in points per game with 114.2, while Chicago ranks 20th in points allowed with an average of 102.0 given up.
Chicago has allowed an average of 91.0 points per home game this season. Oklahoma City averages 122.0 points per away game, placing the team second in scoring.
The Chicago Bulls are 2-1 in games where they allow fewer than 100 points, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are winless (0-1) when they don’t hit the century mark.
Chicago is a split 1-1 in contests where it gives up 100 or more points. Oklahoma City is a winning 3-1 when it reaches the century mark.
The Thunder have a defensive rating of 102.7 (ranked 22nd). The Bulls rank 21st for their offensive rating of 98.5.
With 102.1 possessions and .985 points per possession, the Chicago Bulls perform worse on both metrics than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City averages 105.6 possessions and 1.081 points per possession.
The Chicago Bulls have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with an EFF% of 50.4%. The Oklahoma City Thunder have split their games 1-1 when opponents record a similar or higher EFF%.
On average, the Oklahoma City Thunder make 23.0 assists per game and the Chicago Bulls make 20.0. Oklahoma City is ranked eighth, while Chicago is ranked 21st.
The Oklahoma City Thunder top the league in blocking, with 8.4 made per game. The Chicago Bulls average 5.8 blocks per game (ranked 11th).
Chicago is ranked 28th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Oklahoma City ranks ninth in defensive rebounds.
The Oklahoma City Thunder make an average of 7.8 steals per game. When the Chicago Bulls allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 2-1.
