Are the Chicago Bulls for real? We'll soon find out. The team has a mini-winning streak going as they head into a Monday evening showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks. The two teams will meet on December 11th, 2023 with a start time of 8:10 PM ET. The Bucks, who will host the game with a 10-2 record this season at home, are favored at -11.0 (bet365). My Bulls vs Bucks prediction is that Chicago's handicap will be more than enough for them in this game at +11.0.
NBA Matchup: Bulls vs Bucks
Away: Chicago Bulls
Home: Milwaukee Bucks
Game time: Monday, December 11th, 2023 @ 8:10 PM ET
Chicago vs Milwaukee Prediction: Recent NBA News
The Chicago Bulls last placed on Friday night, a game they won over the San Antonio Spurs 121-112. That result in itself need not turn any heads. The Spurs have lost a whole bunch of games this season. However, Chicago is in the midst of a four-game winning streak, the only time this season where they have won back-to-back games. The chart below shows just how bad Chicago was before the winning streak.
Chicago Bulls: Recent Form Alert
Formerly: 5 - 14 heading into Nov 30th, 2023
Currently: 9 - 14 (overall)
Recent form: 4 - 0 since Nov 30th, 2023
Recent winning rate: 1.000
Chicago, in addition to beating San Antonio, has wins over Charlotte, New Orleans, and Milwaukee. You could argue that Charlotte and San Antonio are soft teams but the wins over the Bucks and the Pelicans indicate that the Bulls are playing well right now.
Bulls winning without Zach Lavine
In a very interesting development, the wins have come at a time when Zach Lavine is injured. The team is just 4-13 with him in the lineup this season. However, they are 5-1 without him. It is enough to suggest that there is a chemistry problem in Chicago with Lavine or, at least, that the Bulls are managing the games that he appears in incorrectly.
Lavine's field-goal percentage is down relative to recent seasons. Furthermore, basketball-reference.com's fancy stat for defensive box plus/minus suggests that Lavine is a little bit of a liability defensively. For better or worse, Lavine is listed as out as of very late on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Patrick Williams is probable. Will Gottlieb reported that Alex Caruso is questionable for the game.
Double-check for playing status updates with Chicago (00:24 ET time of writing):: Team's Depth Chart
The Bucks last played on Thursday in the semifinals of the in-season tournament. Milwaukee fell 128-119 in the game, a result that dropped them to 15-7 on the season. Their only other recent loss was to the Bulls, an overtime result from November 30th.
As of very late on Sunday, the Bucks looked strong in their depth chart with ESPN. They had no starting-lineup injuries and probably will not have negative updates on Monday because they have not played since Thursday. Their home record of 10-2 looms large in this game, much larger than Chicago's mini-winning streak.
Double-check for playing status updates with Milwaukee (00:24 ET time of writing):: Team's Depth Chart
Bulls vs Bucks Prediction: Betting Tips
But how can one ignore Chicago with a +11.0 handicap (-110) (bet365)? Forget big handicaps, Chicago beat Milwaukee by 7 in a game from not even two weeks earlier. With +11.0 available, the turnaround between games would have to be an 18-point swing in Milwaukee's favor.
Chicago's big players in the last meeting were Nikola Vucevic, Colby White, and Andre Drummond. Those players are all available on Monday and the Bulls will have DeMar DeRozan, who missed the last game against the Bucks.
My recommendation is to take the Bulls at +11.0. In fact, I don't mind Chicago at +6.5 for an adjusted handicap and odds of +165.
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