The Chicago Bulls (10-4) visit the Rose City Wednesday to play the Portland Trail Blazers (7-8) at Moda Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Bulls vs. Trail Blazers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions, and bets.
Chicago’s only loss over its past five games was against the first-place Golden State Warriors, a 119-93 defeat Friday. The Bulls have two stars averaging 25-plus points per game (SF DeMar DeRozan and SG Zach LaVine). Chicago is 10-4 ATS and 6-8 O/U with the fourth-best net rating (plus-5.9).
Portland has alternated between winning and losing over the past four games with the latest being a 118-113 victory Monday over the Toronto Raptors as a 3-point home favorite. The Trail Blazers are 6-9 ATS and 7-8 O/U with the 16th-best net rating (minus-0.2).
These teams split last season’s series 1-1 with the road team winning and covering both and each side of the total cashing. However, Chicago has a revamped core with several new pieces.
Bulls at Trail Blazers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:46 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Bulls -103 (bet $103 to win $100) | Trail Blazers -117 (bet $117 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Bulls +1.5 (-115) | Trail Blazers -1.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 219.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Bulls at Trail Blazers key injuries
Bulls
- SG Alex Caruso (wrist) probable
- SF Javonte Green (ankle) questionable
- C Nikola Vucevic (health and safety protocols) out
Trail Blazers
- PG Damian Lillard (abdomen) questionable
- SF Norman Powell (ankle) questionable
Bulls at Trail Blazers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Trail Blazers 114, Bulls 108
Money line
“LEAN” to the TRAIL BLAZERS (-117) because I’m waiting for the final injury report to come out before making a wager. If Dame Time and Powell miss Wednesday’s game then this is a stay away for me.
However, Portland is 6-1 overall with the highest net points per 100 possessions and the second-best spread differential, according to CleaningTheGlass.com.
Also. the Trail Blazers are due for progression up to the mean based on the quality of their shots, while the Bulls are due for regression.
According to ShotQuality.com, Portland has the seventh-best adjusted shot quality differential and Chicago is ranked 12th.
Finally, cash is pouring in on the Bulls in this spot. According to the Yahoo! Sports app, roughly 90% of the action at the time of publishing is on Chicago’s money line.
This is a good spot to fade the market because perhaps there’s some recent bias with the Bulls and bettors don’t realize how good the Trail Blazers have been in Portland this season.
Against the spread
PASS since Portland’s money line is only 10 cents on the dollar more expensive than the Trail Blazers -1.5 (-107). Portland was originally favored by 3 points, but the market steamed that number down due to the Bulls’ hot start and the questionable game status of a couple of Trail Blazers.
Over/Under
PASS since I have no read on the total. A slight majority of the bets and cash has been wagered on the Over at the time of publishing, according to the Yahoo! Sports app. There are situational trends that point to both sides of the total.
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