The Chicago Bulls head back to the United Center for the second night of a back-to-back with the Raptors following Sunday night’s loss in Toronto.
Through 11 games of the 2022-23 season, the Chicago Bulls have teetered around the .500 mark. Last night’s loss marked their second straight, and pushed the Bulls to a 5-6 record heading back to the United Center for the beginning of a three-game home stand.
Tonight’s game will mark the fourth time this season that the Bulls have played a back-to-back stretch, with the most recent ending successfully with wins over Brooklyn and Charlotte. This time around it will be two straight with the Toronto Raptors, who took down Chicago 113-104 in Toronto Sunday night led by Rockford native, Fred VanVleet’s 30 points.
The big finish from Fred hurt the Bulls in the loss column and also gave a blow to our best bet record, as the best bet blog falls for the third consecutive game. Have no fear, for we won’t stand for a losing streak, and while I won’t be going to the Bulls’ spread or moneyline, I do have some confidence that our guys can get this one done. Let’s see some red tonight and get things back on the right track and GO BULLS!!
2022 Bulls Best Bet Record: 6-5
Chicago Bulls Team Total Over 111.5 (Sportsbook Odds May Vary)
Despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, I actually think the Bulls offense has a great opportunity for a bounce back tonight. In last night’s loss, Chicago showed times throughout the game of consistent offense, scoring at least 30 points in the first and third quarters, but were unable to sustain the output late into the game.
It remains unclear if Zach LaVine will suit up in tonight’s game for the Chicago Bulls, as they continue to act with caution throughout this “injury management” process. To this point in these blogs, I have been blatantly wrong when trying to speculate injury availability, and while I have fortunately managed to stay successful in spite of those misses, I am going to keep my foot out of my mouth this time and say I like the Bulls offense tonight no matter who is active.
With LaVine in the lineup, the Bulls are 4-3, averaging 111.7 points per game. Without LaVine, they are 1-3 with only a small drop to exactly 111 points per game. While the difference is small in point output, LaVine’s presence improves the offense, and also vastly improves the depth and roles of the bench players and their impacts.
Elsewhere on the Bulls injury report, Andre Drummond has been listed as doubtful, and Coby White has been ruled out.
The other factor that I love for this pick and quite frankly the Bulls chances in general tonight, is the bounce back opportunity, playing a team for the second consecutive night. Around the NBA, teams that matchup with each other in consecutive games, or even over the span of a couple of weeks, tend to see those matchups see an even split.
I love the Bulls opportunity for a split with Toronto tonight, and in addition to the split trends, the rematch situations typically see a flip in offensive production on that second night, whether it be regression or positive regression. In the case of the Bulls, after scoring just 104 last night, I feel strongly that they can put together a nice consistent outpouring that could reach 120.
The healthier this team can get, the more competitive they will continue to be, and the more they will give some of these guys the opportunity to grow. Much of Bulls nation was quick to cast away Patrick Williams after not only a slow start, but also by the eye test, a completely uninspiring effort that lacked any impact on the game.
Across his last six games, Williams appears to be turning a corner and has shown a massive uptick in confidence and aggression. Over these last six, he is averaging 11.16ppg/4.83rpg/48 FG%/8-21 3-pt shooting. That is a huge boost from his opening five games, averaging 6.2ppg/1.6rpg/40FG%/3-12 3-pt shooting. He will be a big factor on both ends tonight, and remains one of the bigger x-factors to the Bulls elevating as a team to the next level.
Let’s get a bounce back performance for not only the Bulls tonight, but for our best bets as well! Best of luck, and GO BULLS!!
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