Can Coby White stay hot enough to help the Chicago Bulls pull off an upset against the Oklahoma City Thunder? Here are the latest odds and things to watch for.
After a miserable 8-game losing streak, the Chicago Bulls finally got back to their winning ways on Sunday night when Zach LaVine and Coby White led the team to a 126-117 victory over the Washington Wizards. Can they build on that momentum tonight when the Oklahoma City Thunder come to town?
Can Coby White stay hot?
Coby White has somehow found a way to make the rest of this season interesting for Bulls fans.
With playoff hopes fading by the moment, individual progression is really the only thing that can make the rest of this season somewhat enjoyable. At this point, White’s improvement matters more than anyone else’s.
In his last two games (one loss, one win), White has scored 33 points each night and is shooting over 50 percent from the field and from 3-point land. He’s been doing a nice job of scoring efficiently from all three levels of the floor.
Obviously, he won’t average 33 points per game on .550/.545/.909 shooting splits for much longer, but if he can stay even a fraction as hot as he has been lately, the Bulls are in good shape.
With Lauri Markkanen — the Bulls’ second-best option on offense behind Zach LaVine — sidelined due to injury, the Bulls desperately need White to step up and be a good sidekick to LaVine.
It looks like he might be ready to do that.
Bulls odds against the Thunder
All odds are courtesy of The Action Network and are current as of 11 am CT.
I can’t understand why the Thunder are only 6.5-point favorites.
The Thunder have won 12 of their last 15 games and are a legitimately good team heading into the final stretch of the season. They have a young phenom in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a savvy vet in Chris Paul and a dominant wing in Danilo Gallinari. The Bulls have Zach LaVine and Coby White.
Yes, this game will be played in Chicago, but still, it’s hard to imagine the Bulls keeping this one even semi-close.
Prediction: The Thunder win the game and cover the spread.