The Los Angeles Clippers (37-39) travel to the Windy City Thursday to play the Chicago Bulls (44-32) at United Center with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Clippers vs. Bulls odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
L.A. rallied back from a 25-point deficit at home to stun the Utah Jazz Tuesday in a 121-115 victory, snapping a five-game losing skid. Clippers wing Paul George made his return to action Tuesday and had a game-high 34 points on 50.0% shooting (6-for-9 from behind the arc) with 6 assists.
Chicago is just 3-4 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) over the past two weeks with the most recent game being a 107-94 beatdown of the Wizards Tuesday in Washington.
The Bulls upset the Clippers 100-90 in L.A. Nov. 14 as 4-point road underdogs. Chicago All-Star wings DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 64 points on 23-for-43 shooting with 15 rebounds. PG had 27 points and 11 rebounds but shot just 7-for-25 from the field.
Clippers at Bulls 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 12:54 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Clippers +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Bulls -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Clippers +2.5 (-115) | Bulls -2.5 (-107)
- Over/Under: 221.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
Clippers at Bulls key injuries
Clippers
- SF Kawhi Leonard (knee) out
- SG Norman Powell (foot) out
Bulls
- PG Lonzo Ball (knee) out
- SG Zach LaVine (knee) probable
[tipico]
Clippers at Bulls odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Clippers 111, Bulls 106
Money line
LEAN to the CLIPPERS (+110) only because we are getting to the party a little late and the Clippers plus the points is the wiser play. L.A. opened as +150 ML underdogs according to Pregame.com, but sharp money has lowered it to the current price so we’d be getting the worst of the number.
The Bulls have been awful when playing good defenses and the Clippers are eighth in adjusted defensive rating, according to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG). Chicago is 9-17 SU versus top-10 defenses with a minus-7.1 adjusted net rating (ranked 24th).
L.A. is slightly more efficient in tight games than Chicago. The Clippers are second in net rating in the “clutch” at plus-16.2 whereas the Bulls are sixth in net rating at plus-11.4. “Clutch” is defined by games within a 5-point margin inside of five minutes to play.
The bottom line is L.A. has a coaching edge, which explains its net rating in close games and the CLIPPERS (+110) should pull this one out. However, L.A.’s spread is the sharper bet.
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Against the spread
BET the CLIPPERS +2.5 (-115) because the Bulls have the fourth-worst ATS margin versus top-10 defenses at minus-4.3, per CTG. L.A. plus the points is better than the ML since these teams are so evenly matched.
More importantly, Chicago turtles versus quality opponents and L.A. is better than its record indicates, especially with PG back in the fold. The Bulls are 16-19 ATS versus teams with a winning record and their efficiency against quality opponents is putrid.
This is also a Pros vs. Joe’s scenario in the betting market at the time of publishing. A slight majority of the cash is on L.A. but roughly 60% of the bets placed are on Chicago according to Pregame.com. In sports betting it’s typically wise to follow the money when it’s counter to the public.
The CLIPPERS PLUS THE POINTS is my favorite wager in this game.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 221.5 (-108) only because L.A.’s spread is my favorite play and I’m more locked into the head-to-head matchup than the total.
However, a vast majority of the money is on the Under while most of the public is on the Over so the presumed sharp money is projecting a lower-scoring affair. This betting action has caused oddsmakers to decrease the total from a 223.5-point opener.
However, Chicago’s offense is in trouble if DeMar and LaVine aren’t hitting insanely difficult shots. Plus L.A.’s defense is fifth in adjusted free-throw attempt rate (per CTG) so DeMar and LaVine might not get as many visits to the charity stripe as they’re accustomed to.
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