Tuesday night features a battle of West versus East in the Windy City as the Los Angeles Clippers (28-25) take on the Chicago Bulls (23-26). The Bulls will host this one at the United Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
The Clippers are trying to bounce back from a 122-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last outing. In the defeat, Brandon Boston Jr had a team-high 24 points, while Amir Coffey added 18.
After losing back-to-back games, the Bulls picked up a win over the Orlando Magic 128-109 on Saturday. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine tied for a game-high with 32 points each, while Nikola Vucevic had a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
The Clippers are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -158 to win, while the Bulls’ moneyline sits at +134. The spread features the Bulls as 3.5-point underdogs (-110).
Clippers Look To Move Over .500 On The Road
At 28-25, the Clippers sit in fourth in the Western Conference, 7.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets. They will look to move over .500 on the road, where they are just 14-14 on the season.
After sitting in their last matchup, both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are expected to play in this one. In 36 games, George has led the way for the Clippers, averaging 23.5 points, 6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals.
As for Leonard, he is averaging 21.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 27 games this year.
Even with these two superstars at the helm, the Clippers rank just 28th in scoring, averaging 110.7 points per game (107.6 at home).
Other contributors for Los Angeles include Norman Powell (16.2 points, 3 rebounds), Marcus Morris (12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds), and Ivica Zubac (10.1 points, 10.1 rebounds).
Defensively, they have been elite. They rank third overall in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 110.7 points per game (105.7 at home).
Bulls Need To Find Consistency
Unfortunately for head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls, the team has struggled with consistency all season long. They have looked like world beaters at times, but they have also looked lousy at other times.
This inconsistency has shown up lately, having gone 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are also just 13-10 at home, while they are 10-16 on the road. Against the Western Conference, they are just 4-11 to date.
Chicago ranks 14th overall in offense, averaging 114.5 points per game. They are led by the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. For DeRozan, he is averaging a team-high 26.4 points to go along with 4.9 rebounds and five assists.
LaVine (23.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and Vucevic (17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists) have also looked stellar at times this year.
The Bulls rank 17th in the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents 114.5 points per game (113.1 at home).
Take The Bulls And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Clippers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games, but they are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six games versus the Bulls. Despite this, they are 9-3 straight up in their last 12 against Chicago.
For the Bulls, they are 4-2 in their last six games and 8-4 against the spread in their last 12 matchups. In their last five home games, they are 4-1 against the spread.
This one is a tough one to call. Chicago has looked dominant at times, beating the likes of the 76ers, Nets, Jazz, and Bucks this season, but they have also lost against some of the worst in the NBA like the Rockets and Hornets.
With both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard playing Tuesday night, Chicago will have their hands full, but sometimes that is when the Bulls have played their best.
It wouldn’t be shocking if Chicago loses this one, but it also wouldn’t be shocking to see them cover the 3.5-point spread (-110). Take the Bulls and the points.
