The Chicago Bulls (23-10) head to the nation’s capital on New Year’s Day for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off against the Washington Wizards (18-17) at Capital One Arena. Below, we look at the Bulls vs. Wizards odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Chicago enters on a six-game winning streak (4-2 ATS and 4-2 O/U) with the second-best non-garbage time net rating at plus-10.1 points per 100 possessions over the past two weeks, according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG).
Washington broke a two-game losing streak with a 110-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday. In the last 14 days, the Wizards are 3-2 straight-up (SU), 4-1 ATS, and 3-2 O/U with the 14th-ranked adjusted net rating at plus-1.4 points per 100 possessions (CTG).
The Bulls won and covered two of their three meetings with the Wizards last season and the total was 1-2 O/U in those contests.
Bulls at Wizards odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:30 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Bulls -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Wizards +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Against the spread (ATS): Bulls -2.5 (-107) | Wizards +2.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 221.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Bulls at Wizards key injuries
Bulls
- SF Javonte Green (foot) doubtful
- PG Lonzo Ball (reconditioning) out
- C Tony Bradley (health and safety protocols) out
- SG Alex Caruso (foot) out
Wizards
- PG Davis Bertans (illness) out
- C Thomas Bryant (health and safety protocols) out
- PG Spencer Dinwiddie (health and safety protocols) out
- PF Rui Hachimura (health and safety protocols) out
- PF Montrezl Harrell (health and safety protocols) out
- PG Raul Neto (health and safety protocols) out
- SG Aaron Holiday (health and safety protocols) out
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Bulls at Wizards odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Wizards 109, Bulls 106
Money line
PASS with a heavy “lean” to the Wizards (+105) because I like them to cover the spread and generally will “sprinkle” on an underdog’s money line when betting them to cover.
However, Washington’s money line would need to be priced north of +125 for me to take a shot with the Wizards outright.
Against the spread
BET the WIZARDS +2.5 (-115) because even though all the money is on the Bulls -2.5 (-107), Washington is the more expensive team and this is a good spot for the Wizards.
For instance, according to Pregame.com and the Yahoo! Sports app, roughly 80% of the action is on Chicago but, if anything, Washington is getting pricier.
This type of reverse line move is a red flag in sports betting. Why would the sportsbooks make the more popular side cheaper? Hmmm.
Furthermore, Washington is 4-2 SU and ATS as a home underdog, 4-2 ATS when getting spotted 1-2.5 points and 5-3 ATS at home vs. teams with a winning record.
Also, the Wizards are 8-6 SU vs. teams in the top-10 of adjusted net rating with the eighth-best adjusted net rating and the seventh-best spread differential (CTG).
BET the WIZARDS +2.5 (-115) for 1 unit.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 221.5 (-112) for a quarter unit as a fade against a market that’s hammering into the Over.
According to Pregame.com, nearly 85% of the money is on the Over, which has steamed the total up from the 216.5-point opener. My instinct in sports betting is fade lopsided betting markets and this drastic of line movement.
However, I can only “LEAN” to the UNDER 221.5 (-112) because the Bulls are 7-3 O/U as a road favorite (plus-5.4 total margin) and the Wizards are 3-2-1 O/U as a home underdog (plus-5.7 total margin).
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