The Chicago Bulls are looking to stave off a wave of injuries that won’t seem to let up for the last four or six weeks as they take on the Orlando Magic on the road on Jan. 23. In what looks to be a winnable game for the Bulls, this is still a Magic team that fought until the very end the last time these two squads met.
Earlier this month, these two teams met at the United Center in Chicago. That resulted in a four-point win for the Bulls.
Second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls are coming off a tough four-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road on Jan. 21. That gives them a record of 28-16 heading into this meeting with the Magic to round out the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Magic come into this game sporting a record of 8-39 after their Jan. 21 loss at home to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic have lost four games in a row. And they have also lost 14 of their last 14 dating back just before Christmas.
Here’s a look into the betting odds and prediction as the Bulls get set to take on the Magic on the road at the Amway Center in Orlando on Jan. 23, with tip-off time set for 5:00 p.m. CT.
Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are a three-point favorite just a few hours ahead of tip-off against the Magic. And the over/under is set at 215 points.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls a 41.6 percent chance to beat the Magic.
Chicago Bulls vs. Orlando Magic prediction
We will see the Bulls playing in a tough spot injury-wise against the Magic. It seems like the Bulls were facing an uphill battle in terms of battling the injury bug for the last six weeks. Now, the Bulls have point guard Alex Caruso out due to a wrist injury that happened in the loss to the Bucks.
According to the most updated injury report from the NBA on Jan. 23, the Bulls are set to miss Caruso, star shooting guard Zach LaVine, forward Derrick Jones Jr., point guard Lonzo Ball, and wing Javonte Green in this game. Meanwhile, the Magic have point guard Markelle Fultz and combo guard RJ Hampton out. And wing Terrance Ross is questionable for this game with a right knee injury.
Moreover, just as it looked like the Bulls were starting to get deeper in the rotation again, Grayson Allen had a dirty play against Caruso that should keep him out for around a month or two. While the Bulls could be getting the likes of LaVine and Green back before too long, they are still out in this game.
What the Bulls need to get past the Magic here is a strong performance from center Nikola Vucevic and point guard Coby White. Vucevic played well in the last two games for the Bulls. That is especially true compared to how he looked in the Jan. 17 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies where he was essentially benched in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, White had one of his worst shooting games of the season in the loss to the Bucks. He went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc and needs a bounce-back game against the Magic. A big evening from the duo of White and Vucevic, and the Bulls should be able to pull this one out.
Of course it’s important for the Bulls to get big outings from the likes of star forward DeMar DeRozan, rookie point guard Ayo Dosunmu, and even power forward Tyler Cook. But Vucevic and White will be keys to victory in this game.