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Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
By Sam Batz
The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks head to the Windy City on Thursday, Feb. 16th to play the Chicago Bulls in the United Center (6:30 pm CST, TNT). The Bucks are the hottest team in the league right now after winning 11 consecutive games. The Bulls on the other hand have lost four straight, and now find themselves outside of the top-ten seeds in the East. Thursday’s matchup is the third of the season between Milwaukee and Chicago, but will not be the last, as the two Central Division rivals are slated to meet once more before the regular season ends and the postseason begins.
Milwaukee Bucks Breakdown
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently the 2 seed in the East and are now 40-17 after going unbeaten in their last 11 games. The Bucks are just half a game behind the league leading Boston Celtics (41-17), and enter Thursday’s matchup with Chicago directly after taking down said league leaders, 131-125, in a thrilling overtime victory for Milwaukee. The Bucks travel to Chicago next, where historically they have struggled. Milwaukee is 51-79 (win-rate 39.2%) all-time in the Windy City, and have yet to beat the Bulls this season. However, the last time they played Chicago, the Bucks were without All-Star Point Guard Jrue Holiday, who just recorded 40 points against Boston on Tuesday. Milwaukee’s superstar, and generational talent, Giannis Antetokounmpo, averages 48.5% for the field, 40.5 points, and 7 assists against Chicago in his career, and will look to lead this team to their first win on the road versus Chicago this season.
Chicago Bulls Breakdown
The Chicago Bulls are on the outside looking in on the playoffs. They are currently the 11 seed in the East with a record of 26-31. The Bulls are 4-6 in their last 10 games, and have lost four straight. It’s not an ideal situation, but they still have a good chance to make the play-in tournament. Chicago is just one game out of the top-ten, and with 25 games left on their schedule, they have plenty of time to either make-up the ground or shoot themselves in the foot. Only time will tell whether the Bulls have what it takes, but head coach Billy Donovan would say they are taking it one game at a time. Unfortunately, Chicago is going backwards, as they are coming off back-to-back losses where they failed to eclipse the 100 point mark, the most recent being to the Orlando Magic, when the Bulls lost 91-100. The Bulls need to find a way to right the ship, and salvage what they can from an underwhelming season.
Bucks vs. Bulls Odds
Betting odds courtesy of PointsBet:
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Team |
Spread |
Total |
Moneyline |
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Milwaukee Bucks |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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Chicago Bulls |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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Bucks vs. Bulls Bettings Trends
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Milwaukee Bucks
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Chicago Bulls
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Bucks vs. Bulls Season Stats
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Milwaukee Bucks (40-17) W-11 114.9 (13th) 111.8 (7th) 46.4 (23rd) 35.9 (15th) 112.6 (22nd) 109.7 (2nd) 16-12 (57.1%) 24-5 (82.8%) |
Stat Type Streak (W/L) Points/Game Opponent Points/Game Field Goal % Three-Point % Offensive Rating Defensive Rating Away Record (Win-Rate) Home Record (Win-Rate) |
Chicago Bulls (26-31) L-4 113.3 (20th) 113.3 (14th) 48.8 (6th) 35.8 (17th) 111.7 (24th) 111.8 (7th) 10-19 (34.5%) 16-12 (57.1%) |
Bucks vs. Bulls Game Changers
Milwaukee Bucks
- Forward Bobby Portis, and Power Forward Jae Crowder, have been ruled Out for Thursday’s matchup against Chicago.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday combined for 76 points in Milwaukee’s win over Boston on Tuesday.
- Milwaukee is 0-2 against Chicago this year, scoring 113 points in both games, and allowing an average of 118.5 points to the Bulls.
Chicago Bulls
- Lonzo Ball and Javonte Green remain Out for Chicago and don’t have a clear timetable to return.
- DeMar DeRozan and Derrick Jones Jr. have been ruled Out for Chicago’s matchup with Indiana Wednesday. But DeRozan is worth monitoring, as head coach Billy Donovan said he is probable for Thursday against Milwaukee.
- Chicago averaged 107.2 PPG in their last 10 matchups, but allowed just 106.8 opponent PPG, for a point differential of +0.4.
- Chicago’s matchup with Milwaukee is the second of a back-to-back. The Bulls are 4-6 on no rest this season.
Prediction
I like the Bucks in this one. They just proved they can beat the best team in the league, and with the way Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo are playing right now, the Bulls will have a difficult time stopping them. Over Milwaukee’s 11 game winning-streak, they averaged 125.3 PPG, allowing 113.6 opponent PPG, resulting in a point differential of +11.7, all while shooting 49.6% from the field. Those numbers speak for themselves; the Bucks have utterly dominated their opponents. The Bulls have been too inconsistent, and against a top-tier side like Milwakuee, I don’t have much confidence in Chicago to get the job done. If DeMar DeRozan ends up playing, Chicago has a much better shot to win, but without the 6x All-Star, the Bulls will struggle to score against a suffocating Milwaukee defense.
- Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks Moneyline and the Under.
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