The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls clash Wednesday, January 12 in a meeting between two of the Eastern conference’s best teams. The Bulls have homecourt advantage in this game, but that also means that Kyrie Irving will be out there for the Nets.
Will Brooklyn come away with a big road win over Chicago? Keep reading our Nets vs. Bulls NBA picks and predictions for the answer.
Nets vs Bulls odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Bulls were 2-point favorites when this line became available, and they are laying either 1.5 or 2 across all sportsbooks now. Meanwhile, the total opened at 232.5 and has stayed put in all but one place, where it’s currently 231.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Nets vs Bulls predictions
Predictions made on 1/12/2022 at 10:50 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Nets vs Bulls game info
• Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2022
• Tip-off: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Nets vs Bulls betting preview
Injuries
Nets: Nicolas Claxton C (Questionable), LaMarcus Aldridge F (Out), Joe Harris G (Out).
Bulls: Alex Caruso G (Out), Patrick Williams F (Out), Javonte Green G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Bulls are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games as home favorites. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Bulls.
Nets vs Bulls picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Bulls could have been a bit exhausted after having to play on the second night of a back-to-back, but they were able to blow the Detroit Pistons out last night. That gave Billy Donovan the chance to rest some of his starters late in the game, so Chicago should be feeling somewhat fresh for this meeting with Brooklyn.
The Bulls are the team playing better basketball at the moment and they’ll also be eager to make a statement in this game. While Brooklyn comes into this one after having lost five of its last seven games, Chicago is 10-1 in its last 11. The Bulls have also covered in six of their last 10 games, and they’re 5-1 against the spread in their last six home games.
Brooklyn is the more talented team between these two, but the team is currently trying to figure out its identity. The Nets are also trying to find out how to get the most out of Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden. All three of them will be out there for this game, which isn’t how it was when the Nets lost to the Portland Trail Blazers the other night. Having all of them healthy certainly isn’t a bad thing, but it is an adjustment for Brooklyn. Steve Nash has had a hard time coming up with a consistent rotation for this team this year, and it’s not going to get any easier with so many lineup changes happening on a nightly basis.
With Aldridge out and Claxton either out or playing injured, Nikola Vucevic’s presence could be a huge X-factor here. Brooklyn could potentially be weak on the inside, where Vucevic is capable of dominating. That would be massive for the Bulls, who are one of the few teams with enough firepower on the wing to keep up with the Nets from a shot-making standpoint. That, combined with the Bulls playing this one at home, is enough to take a shot on Chicago tonight.
Prediction: Bulls -1.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Nets and Bulls are both very good on the defensive end of the floor, but this game will be all about which team can outscore the other — especially with Chicago being without Caruso. With all of the offensive talent on the floor here, we should see a lot of skill on display, and it will make for a very exciting, up-tempo game. You won’t want to be on the Under when all of these All-Stars are reaching into their bags of tricks.
The last two meetings between these teams went well Under the total, but that hasn’t prevented the oddsmakers from setting this number high. Brooklyn’s games have been higher-scoring with Irving back in the mix, and this one should be no different. The Over is now 8-5 in the last 13 games the Nets have played. It’s also 7-4 in the Bulls’ last 11.
Prediction: Over 231.5 (-110)
Best bet
The Bulls are 8-1 against the spread this season on the second leg of back-to-back home games, and they have an average margin of victory of 7.7 points per game in those contests. The Bulls are also hosting a Nets team that is just 14-24-1 against the spread in all games this year. On top of that, Brooklyn is just 2-8-1 against the spread against Central division opponents on the year and Chicago is 17-9 against the spread a favorite this season.
This just seems like a game that the Bulls are going to thrive in. While the Nets are struggling to find themselves at this point in the year, the Bulls are playing without a concern in the world. Chicago has developed remarkable chemistry and plays the game the right way. The Bulls should feed off the crowd tonight and turn in a great performance.
Pick: Bulls -1.5 (-110)
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