With second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls starting to struggle a good bit again early in February amidst a really busy portion of the regular season schedule, a big game looms for them on the road on Feb. 9. Donovan and the Bulls are getting ready to face the Charlotte Hornets on the road for the first time this season.
If the Bulls can make it through this road meeting with the Hornets with a win, the rest of the February schedule looks much more manageable.
The Bulls are coming off a tough three-point loss to the Phoenix Suns at home at the United Center on Feb. 7 ahead of this meeting with the Hornets. That gives the Bulls a record of 33-21 heading into this game.
Meanwhile, the Hornets head into this matchup against the Bulls with a record of 28-27 following their convincing 15-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on the road on Feb. 7. The Hornets have lost five games in a row heading into this one.
Here’s a look into the betting odds and game prediction as the Bulls travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Feb. 9, with tip-off time set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are a 1.5-point favorite over the Hornets for this game. And the over/under is set at 236 points.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls a 43.9 percent chance to beat the Hornets.
Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets prediction
There was another unfortunate addition to the injury report for the Bulls ahead of this meeting with the Hornets. Rookie point guard Ayo Dosunmu entered concussion protocol earlier this week. And he is listed on the Bulls’ injury report as out against the Hornets.
Missing Dosunmu is just something that the Bulls can ill afford at the moment. With the likes of point guard Alex Caruso, point guard Lonzo Ball, forward Derrick Jones Jr., etc., still missing, this does really hurt to also have Dosunmu absent.
Obviously, the Bulls will be relying on the star duo of forward DeMar DeRozan and shooting guard Zach LaVine to continue to shoulder the load. Center Nikola Vucevic will also be a key factor for the Bulls in this game.
If LaVine and DeRozan are both on in this game, it will go a long way to pushing the Bulls over the hump to break their losing skid. DeRozan is playing really well of late, but LaVine is a bit more inconsistent since working his way back from his knee injury.
With the Hornets set to be missing the likes of standout forward Gordon Hayward, shooting guard/wing Cody Martin, and small forward Jalen McDaniels, among a few others in this game, the Bulls won’t be the only team that is short-handed. They’ll still have to deal with the likes of guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier and standout forward Miles Bridges.
Get DeRozan and LaVine both rolling at the same time in this game, and the Bulls should be able to pull this one out against the Hornets. This does feel like a good spot for the Bulls to rebound from two straight losses.