NBA: Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Chicago Bulls visit the Oklahoma City Thunder less than 24 hours since their defeat against the Orlando Magic. Billy Donovan’s team needs to erase the loss in Florida from their memory and get back on the winning track. The Bulls are playing very poorly in recent times, but that has its background. Several of their players are injured, and it seems that bad luck hit them in the worst possible time. On the other side, Thunder is bad all season, but this is a chance for them to jump out at the shaky Bulls and surprise them.

Preview

Chicago Bulls (28-17, -115) have only one win in the past seven games, which definitely set the alarm off in Illinois. However, there aren’t many things the Bulls can do about that because playing without Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball is too big of a handicap. Plus, Alex Caruso is out as well, and his defensive contribution is massive, whether someone admits that or not.

DeMar DeRozan gives 100%, but he can’t do everything alone. In last night’s loss against the Magic in Orlando, 114-95, DeRozan scored 41 points, shooting 15-for-21 from the field. Yet the hosts solved that contest already in the first half once they created a 16-point lead.

Chicago had 22 turnovers, and only five three-pointers in 21 attempts. Coby White had 22 points, while Nikola Vucevic scored 13 points and added 13 boards. These three guys were the only double-digit ones among the Bulls.

Oklahoma City Thunder (14-32, +105) have a single victory over the past 12 contests, which is the worst record in the West during this stretch. The fans are getting tired of seeing their favorites losing, even though there is a bigger picture. Nobody wants to wait the next season, even if the plans are big.

OKC played its last four games on the road, losing in Dallas, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Cleveland. The most recent against the Cavs ended 94-87 for the franchise from Ohio. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way in all the important statistical categories – 29 points, nine boards, and six assists. The next best scorer was Kenrich Williams with only 12 buckets, while Lugentz Dort scored 10.

The Thunder was inferior on the glass, having 13 boards fewer than the hosts, 41-54, and they weren’t aggressive when it comes to attacking the rim, having only 16 free throws, unlike the Cavs, who ended the game with 35.

Head to Head

The Bulls and the OKC didn’t play this year. In the 2020/21 campaign, we saw them splitting a win at home. The Thunder was better in OKC, 127-125 after an OT, while on the other side, the Bulls didn’t have any troubles at home, beating the Thunder 123-102.

Prediction

We aren’t favoring the Bulls in this contest, even though everyone is. In our opinion, the best thing here would be to move away from picking the winner and focus on total points. The current limit is 214.5, and we would bet on under. The Thunder is a very boring team that often plays low-scoring affairs. Meanwhile the Bulls’ offensive potential is reduced with all those injuries, and that’s why we think Under is the best possible pick here.

Pick: Under 214.5