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NBA

Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read

Nationally televised NBA coverage will resume on Friday night with a heavyweight Eastern Conference bout between the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. Coverage begins from Fiserv Forum at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

SCORE PREDICTION

Bucks 118, Bulls 106

BEST BETS

Bucks -8.5 (-110) at DraftKings

CHICAGO BULLS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS PREDICTIONS

After finishing 11th in the East with a record of 31-41 SU last year, Chicago posted a surprisingly excellent start to this season, as the Bulls opened with a solid 12-5 SU and ATS run – despite getting tagged as underdogs in eight of those matchups.

The Bulls have somewhat stalled recently though, considering Chicago enters Friday sitting just 16-10 SU and 12-14 ATS across the last 26 games – most recently highlighted by a 2-5 SU skid in the absence of Zach LaVine.

On the other hand, Milwaukee stumbled out to a slightly discouraging start to the year, as the Bucks kicked things off with a lackluster 6-8 SU and ATS skid – with four of those SU losses coming in matchups they were favored in.

Milwaukee has played quietly solid basketball since their opening stretch though, considering the Bucks enter Monday sitting at 22-11 SU across the last 33 games, with 17 of those victories coming by eight points or more – despite sitting just 15-18 ATS during that timeframe.

I’ll lay the points with Milwaukee here, as Chicago is just 2-5 SU and 3-4 ATS since LaVine’s latest injury, while surrendering an average of 116 PPG defensively during that span – setting the stage for another unfavorable road matchup against a Bucks squad that’s racked up 116 PPG across the last 15 games.

CHICAGO BULLS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

CHICAGO BULLS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: Central
  • Date: Friday, January 21, 2022
  • Venue: Fiserv Forum
  • Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • TV-Time: ESPN - 8:00 p.m. ET
  • Injury Report

CHICAGO BULLS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 28-15
  • ATS: 25-18
  • O/U: 22-20-1

After last year’s underwhelming 11th place finish, Chicago went out and made some aggressive acquisitions during the offseason, which resulted in this fully revamped Bulls squad – as Lavine now finds himself partnered up with a stout supporting cast consisting of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso and other much-improved counterparts.

Chicago has looked lost without LaVine on the floor though, considering the Bulls are just 2-5 ATS and 3-4 ATS across the last seven games – with their only SU victories coming against the Cavaliers and Pistons.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 28-19
  • ATS: 21-26
  • O/U: 20-27

After finishing with the best record in the East in two of the last three regular seasons, Milwaukee’s rough start was incredibly surprising, considering the Bucks’ compiled a record of 162-65 SU across the previous three seasons – and then opened this season just 6-8 SU.

Since mid-November though, Milwaukee has played excellent basketball when healthy, considering the Bucks are 22-11 SU across their latest 33-game stretch – with five of those losses coming in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

The Bucks are 12-1 SU in their last 13 matchups against Chicago. (AP)

CHICAGO BULLS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Bucks won two-of-three regular-season matchups against the Bulls last year, with both of Milwaukee’s victories staying under the total at an average of 214 PPG – while Chicago’s lone win went over with a score of 118-112.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • CHI: DeMar DeRozan - SF (25.7 PPG, 5 REB, 4.9 AST)
  • CHI: Nikola Vucevic - C (16.3 PPG, 11.1 REB, 3.5 AST)
  • MIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF (28.6 PPG, 11.3 REB, 6.1 AST)
  • MIL: Khris Middleton - SF (19.8 PPG, 5.5 REB, 5.3 AST)

CHICAGO BULLS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS BETTING CONCLUSION

After snapping a four-game losing streak with a win over Cleveland on Wednesday night, the Bulls hit the road for Friday’s contest as moderate underdogs against the Bucks at Fiserv Forum – marking the sixth time Chicago has been an underdog across the last eight games.

I’ll lay the points with Milwaukee here, as the Bucks have tallied 116 PPG across their latest 9-6 SU stretch – likely presenting a steep uphill battle for a Bulls squad that’s posted double-digit losses in four-of-seven games since Lavine’s most recent injury.

CHICAGO BULLS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS BETTING TRENDS

  • The Bucks are 12-1 SU in their last 13 matchups against Chicago.
  • The total has gone OVER in four of the last five Bulls' games.
  • The total has gone UNDER in seven of the last ten matchups between Chicago and Milwaukee.
  • The Bucks are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson
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