In this all-Eastern battle between two squads sitting outside the top-8 places of the conference, the Chicago Bulls (20-52), looking to turn their latest victory into a streak, are hosting the Washington Wizards (30-41), who on the other hand want to bounce back after their latest defeat and stay in pursuit of the 8th and final playoff place.
Chicago Bulls have a 20-52 record (32-39-1 against the spread) so far this season and currently sit in the third to last place of the East. In their last game they snapped a five-game losing streak by winning on the road against the Suns with a 116-101 score, beating the odds. They are led in scoring by Zach LaVine with 23.7 ppg, adding 4.7 boards and 4.5 dimes per game. He is followed by Lauri Markkanen with 18.7 ppg and a team high 8.9 boards per game.
Washington Wizards have a 30-41 record (34-37 against the spread) so far this season and currently sit in the 11th place of the East. They have lost two of their last three matches and in their last game they lost at home against the Jazz with a 95-116 score, not beating the odds. They are led in scoring by Bradley Beal with 26 ppg, adding 5.2 boards and 5.6 dimes per game. He is followed by John Wall with 20.7 ppg and a team high 8.7 dimes per game but he will miss the rest of the season with an injury.
In their two previous meetings earlier this season each team won once on the road by 9 points. Bulls have an 8-27 home record, while the Wizards are 8-27 on the road. Wizards are better offensively, scoring 114.4 ppg to Bulls’ 105.3, while Bulls are better defensively, allowing 113.1 pgg to Wizards’ 116.9. Wizards have a better field goal percentage (47% to 45.5%), while Bulls have a better 3-point percentage (35.6% to 34.6%). Bulls are better in boards grabbed (42.5 to 41.7), while Wizards are better in dimes made (26.6 to 22.1) and both teams are almost equal in turnovers committed (13.8 to 13.9). It is going to be a close game and Vegas odds give the Wizards a -3 spread and expect them to beat the odds for the road victory.