Trying to extend their winning streak to 10 games to round out the weekend, second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls are set to face head coach Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks on the road on the night of Jan. 9. Donovan and the Bulls are looking good right now, but this is about to be one of the more difficult stretches of the January schedule.
The Mavs are rolling right now, having won six of their last seven heading into this meeting with the Bulls. They also have a five-game winning streak coming into this game.
Moreover, this is the first of three difficult matchups in the next four games for the Bulls. In the week ahead, the Bulls also have to face the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors. That’s not to mention the fact that the Bulls have to face the Warriors on the front end of back-to-back games heading into next weekend. The second leg of that will come against the Boston Celtics on the road on Jan. 15.
The Bulls hold a nine-game winning streak coming into this meeting with the Mavs following their Jan. 7 win at home at the United Center over the Washington Wizards. They are sporting a record of 26-10, good for first place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Meanwhile, the Mavs come into this game with a record of 21-18 following their Jan. 7 130-106 road win over the Houston Rockets. The Mavs are also boasting a home record of 10-8 so far this season.
Here’s a look into the betting odds and game prediction as the Bulls get set to take on the Mavs on the road at American Airlines Center on Jan. 9, with tip-off time set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are a two-point favorite over the Mavs a few hours ahead of tip-off. And the over/under is set at 217 points for this game.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls just a 39.4 percent chance to beat the Mavs.
Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks prediction
The focal point of this game will be how the Bulls can handle superstar Mavs point guard Luka Doncic. But there is also the question of how much the Mavs will lean on Doncic in this game.
Luka is questionable for this game with an ankle injury that the team is listing as “day-to-day”. It is also worth noting that standout big man Kristaps Porzingis is out for this game since he is still in the league’s health and safety protocol.
The Mavericks say Luka Dončić (right ankle sprain) is questionable for tomorrow night’s game against Chicago.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 8, 2022
If Doncic is a go for the Mavs in this game, that obviously changes the game plan for Donovan and the Bulls. But the Bulls should still have a leg up here with Doncic dealing with a nagging ankle injury and Porizingis out.
It will be up to the star duo of shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan and shooting guard Zach LaVine to help guide the Bulls to a win to round out the weekend. DeRozan had a down game in the win over the Wizards on Jan. 7.
As hard as it is to imagine DeRozan having two straight down games for the Bulls, this is a critical opportunity for him to bounce back in a big outing. The Bulls also need LaVine to continue his hot streak offensively of late. LaVine was big for the Bulls in the eight-point win over the Wizards entering the weekend.
DeRozan, LaVine, and the Bulls can move their winning streak to double digits if they can beat the Mavs on this night. It would also put the Bulls in a comfortable position heading into a pretty difficult week in the January slate.