The Bulls have had an up and down season, with all the buzz going on in the east with the Bucks, 76ers and Nets and with the new playoff expansion tournament the Bulls could actually be a scary team come May. With a record of 22-32 the Bulls sit in the 10th seed which is the very last team that would get a chance for a play-in tournament to get either the seven or eight seed, especially with their newly acquired piece at the trade deadline.
Same thing with the Grizzlies, they have flown under the radar in the stacked western conference. With a record of 27-26 the Grizzlies sit at the 8th seed. The crazy part about the western conference is that it’s so much more competitive than the east. If the Grizzlies were in the east they would be the fifth seed instead of the 8th. While they didn’t trade for anybody up at the trade deadline, they may have found their franchise center.
Chicago Bulls betting preview
The Bulls made a huge move at the trade deadline but I hope it’s not too little too late for them. They acquired centers Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic and Daniel Theis from the Boston Celtics. Vucevic was an all-star this season averaging 24 points and 10 rebounds a game. Theis, while not an all-star, is still a picture perfect backup center averaging just over 10 points and nine rebounds a game. Pair them with the young talent of Zach Lavine, Coby White and Patrick Williams, this Bulls team could be dangerous if they click at the right time.
This will be the second meeting between these two teams, the Grizzlies took the first meeting 101-90. The Bulls are 29-24 against the spread this season and are also 17-12 against the spread in non-conference games. If the Bulls can string together a couple of key wins down the stretch with their newly acquired seven footers they would be a sneaky team in the playoffs this postseason.
Memphis Grizzlies betting preview
The Grizzlies have had the same year as last year pretty much, always floating towards the bottom but never above the 5th seed in the west. One bright spot other than young superstar Ja Morant has been the emergence of center Jonas Valanciunus. Jonas has averaged a double double all year with 17 points and 13 rebounds a game but as of late he’s been rebounding like his life depends on it. In his last 10 games he’s averaging 14 rebounds a game, leading the NBA in that category. The Grizzlies have a nice young core of Dillon Brooks, Ja Morant mixed in with Jonas’s veteran leadership this team will give the 1 or 2 seed a run for their money.
The Grizzlies are 32-20 against the spread this season and are also 17-9 when favored and are 6-3 when favored on the road this season. All signs point to Memphis covering this spread but the new look Bulls look very scary on paper, can it translate onto the court? We will see Friday Night at 8!
Chicago vs Memphis odds and lines
William Hill has opened the odds with the Grizzlies favored by 3.5 points with the over/under set at 227.5.
Free pick of the night:
- My free pick of the night is the Bulls moneyline at +119.
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