In a really busy time for the Chicago Bulls around the turn of the calendar year from 2021 to 2022 comes the back end of back-to-back games on New Years Day against the Washington Wizards. Interim head coach Chris Fleming and the Bulls will take on one of the more improved teams in the Eastern Conference on the evening of Jan. 1 in the Wizards.
While the Wizards did hit a rough patch of late, they still look like a playoff team in the East. The month of December was not all that friendly to a Wizards team that had some COVID-19-related issues of their own. The Wizards rounded out the month of December with a record of 5-9. That is their worst month of the season to date.
On the other hand, the Bulls come into this meeting with the Wizards on the road red hot. The Bulls are riding a six-game winning streak after an insane buzzer-beating three-pointer hit by star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan on New Year’s Eve. That game-winning three-pointer from DeRozan helped the Bulls top the division foe Indiana Pacers on the afternoon of Dec. 31.
Coming into this matchup against the Wizards, the Bulls are boasting a record of 23-10. That is tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the best record in the Eastern Conference at this point of the season. Meanwhile, the Wizards come into this game with a record of 18-17 after a much-needed win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 30.
Here’s a look into the betting odds and game prediction as the Bulls get set to take on the Wizards on the road at Capital One Arena on Jan. 1, with tip-off time set for 6 p.m. CT.
Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are just a two-point favorite over the Wizards on Jan. 1. And the over/under is set at 221 points just a couple of hours ahead of tip-off for this game.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Wizards just over a 51 percent chance to beat the Bulls on New Year’s Day 2022.
Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards prediction
This is a difficult spot for the Bulls to come into given the fact that they’re playing back-to-back games on the road against some motivated teams trying to turn a corner in the Wizards and Pacers. The Bulls barely survived the Pacers on Dec. 31 thanks to a huge game-winner from DeRozan.
Now, the Bulls have to top a Wizards team that is getting back to full strength with star shooting guard Bradley Beal out of the league’s health and safety protocol as of earlier this week. Beal played in his first game back out of the health and safety protocol on Dec. 30.
Beal is playing really well in his last two games too. He posted 29 points in the Wizards win over the Cavaliers on Dec. 30. It will be a large responsibility on the shoulders of DeRozan and star shooting guard Zach LaVine for the Bulls to top a Wizards team that is very happy to get their star back in Beal.
Although, it is nice to hear that the Bulls get the likes of point guard Lonzo Ball and recently signed forward Alfonzo McKinnie are out of the health and safety protocol this weekend. Lonzo and McKinnie can be huge pieces of this rotation. And the defense definitely suffered at times without Lonzo on the perimeter.
Also, according to the injury report, Lonzo Ball and Alfonzo McKinnie are out of health & safety protocols; listed as out today for return to conditioning. Sounds like they might return Mon vs. Orlando. #Bulls
— Mike McGraw (@McGrawDHSports) January 1, 2022
But the Bulls aren’t going to see Lonzo and McKinnie likely get back into the rotation officially until the Jan. 3 meeting with the Orlando Magic.
The onus will still be on the star trio of LaVine, DeRozan, and star center Nikola Vucevic to get the Bulls the win over the Wizards on New Year’s Day. The Bulls can get closer to solidifying their lead atop the Eastern Conference standings with a win over the Wizards.
This game still feels like a coin flip for the Bulls. They will need to get off to a fast start to take advantage of a Wizards team that is still missing some key pieces, namely standout point guard Spencer Dinwiddie.