Are the Chicago Bulls about to make a run?
With the trade deadline approaching on Thursday, Chicago has won three straight and seven of its last 10 games, showing that it may be able to sneak in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls blew out the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, and that’s a good sign for their chances of having stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan in the second night of a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Memphis is in its worst stretch of the season, struggling without big man Steven Adams and losing eight of its last 10 games.
While the Grizzlies have been great at home straight up, they are 13-10-1 against the spread as home favorites this season.
Even if Chicago doesn’t have another win in it, can it cover the spread as a road dog?
Here’s my best bet and the odds for this Tuesday night matchup:
Bulls vs. Grizzlies odds, spread and total
Bulls vs. Grizzlies prediction and pick
Monday’s night’s blowout of the Spurs was huge for the Bulls, as Zach LaVine only played 31 minutes and Nikola Vucevic only played 24 minutes in the game.
That is a good sign for their availability on the second night of a back-to-back, especially since LaVine has played in both legs of the Bulls’ last four back-to-backs.
Oddsmakers are giving the Grizzlies a little too much respect for my liking in this matchup considering that they are just 26th in the NBA in net rating over their last 10 games.
Chicago ranks fourth in the NBA over that stretch.
The Bulls have also thrived as road dogs this season, going 11-6-1 against the spread with an average margin of victory of -1.6 points.
8.5 points is way too many to give this surging Bulls squad on Tuesday night.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.