The Chicago Bulls (13-8) host the Charlotte Hornets (13-9) Monday at United Center for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we look at the Hornets vs. Bulls odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions, and bets.
Charlotte had a three-game winning streak snapped after a 146-143 overtime loss at the lowly Houston Rockets Saturday. The Hornets are 12-10 ATS and 12-10 O/U with the 15th-best net rating (plus-0.5).
Chicago lost three of four including its more recent outing 107-104 to the Miami Heat at home. The Bulls are 13-8 ATS and 9-12 O/U with the fifth-best net rating (plus-6.8).
The Bulls beat the Hornets in all three regular-season meetings last season (3-0 ATS) and the Under was 2-1 in those contests.
Hornets at Bulls odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:20 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Hornets +175 (bet $100 to win $175) | Bulls -220 (bet $220 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Hornets +5.5 (-112) | Bulls -5.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 224.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Hornets at Bulls key injuries
Kings
- C Mason Plumlee (calf) out
Bulls
- PF Patrick Williams (wrist) out
Hornets at Bulls odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Bulls 118, Hornets 110
Money line
PASS on picking an outright winner in the Battle of the Balls because I think Hornets-Bulls comes down to a couple of key late possessions, but Chicago will ultimately win.
The Bulls have a plus-4.0 net rating in the clutch, while the Hornets are minus-1.0 (the last five minutes of the game and the scoring margin is within five points). Also, Charlotte is missing much-needed size since Chicago big Nikola Vucevic is a top-10 offensive center in the NBA.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to the BULLS -5.5 (-108) since there’s a “sharp line move” in Chicago’s direction and a “Pros vs. Joe’s” split in the betting market.
According to both Pregame.com and the Yahoo! Sports App, there have been more bets placed on the Hornets, but more money has been wagered on the Bulls. Oddsmakers have reacted by increasing Chicago’s spread up from the 5-point opening number.
There’s an assumption by the market that the Hornets are young, feisty road underdogs. However, since the beginning of last season, Charlotte is 14-24 ATS as a road underdog with a minus-8.2 scoring margin.
Also, Charlotte likes to get out in transition and that could backfire. The Hornets play the highest frequency of transition offense in the NBA, but the Bulls have the highest transition offense efficiency.
I cannot fully get there on Chicago laying the points because I think this will be a back-and-forth game between two young teams trending upwards.
Over/Under
BET OVER 224.5 (-107) since the market is hammering the Under and has steamed the total down from the 225-point opener.
The sibling-dynamic of Hornets’ LaMelo Ball vs. the Bulls’ Lonzo Ball will produce a fun, up-and-down game. Not only are both above-average starting point guards, but each also fits their teams perfectly.
LaMelo pushes the pace and helps get odd-man fastbreaks or open transition 3-pointers for teammates. Lonzo is a new-age floor general that feeds his All-Star-caliber wings Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
The bottom line is I see both offenses executing and hoops fans being treated to an awesome game.
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