Chicago Bulls vs Brooklyn Nets: Nets defense has been terrible these days

NBA betting is a tricky affair and with each day, it seems the trends are shifting even more as some teams lose steam on both ends and others hit mid-season form and figure on both ends. There are numerous examples of some teams’ fortunes changing from the last month to the current month. And one of the teams among them, the Brooklyn Nets will feature here. The Nets have 25 wins and 14 losses, losing five of their seven games, and struggling big time on the defensive end. On the other hand, the Chicago Bulls have won 27 games and have 11 losses and they are on fire right now, winning nine out of their last ten games. The Nets have been playing some terrible defense right now meanwhile the Bulls have been putting on offensive shows and are decent defensively. Can the Nets fix their defense or will the Bulls over them? For my game and total prediction, go to “Expert Betting Tips”. 

Bulls have many options: With LaVine and DeRozan as two isolation options, the team’s offense doesn’t get stagnant as these two can create shots out of even difficult situations. With these two iso scorers attracting defenders, Lonzo Ball can hit open looks for outside shots, meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic has been doing well in the middle in terms of scoring. On the other hand, with Coby White off the bench, the scoring flow is fluent and an athletic Derrick Jones Jr can hit open jumpers and also display his hops on both ends. With Vucevic, the team also gets high-quality rebounding. On the other hand, Ball, LaVine, and DeRozan can find open players and are excellent passers, with DeRozan nabbing 7 or more assists in three games straight. Bulls have a lot of options on offense and more than decent depth off the bench too.

What is up with Nets defense: Nets have lost against Clippers, Trail Blazers, a struggling Bucks(depsite their above-average record), and a depleted Spurs took them to Overtime. These are not respectable returns for a team that has the talent of Kevin Durant. It has been mainly the defensive end that has been underwhelming and I think one of the reasons have been the shuffling of lineups. Yes, Cam Thomas and David Duke Jr. give decent scoring but I think when the combination of Mills-Bembry-Harden-Durant-Brown-Aldridge-Claxton-Johnson was playing regularly in the rotation, that is when the Nets defense was miles ahead but since Aldridge has been out due to injury, the inside defense has taken a vacation. Is it an alarming situation? I wouldn’t have said so a couple of games ago but yes, now the team needs to address the defensive situation big-time.

Points Range: The Bulls are one of the highest scoring teams in the league and they have continually breached the 120 points mark throughout the season and it will not be a surprise if they do so again. On the other hand, the Nets have scored around 109 mainly and with Irving and Harden being questionable, they can have trouble keeping up with the Bulls’ offense especially if the two end up missing the game. As stated earlier, the Nets defense hasn’t been on-song as the team has allowed 112 or more on a regular basis which means the offense hasn’t been covering up the defensive deficiencies. I think if Claxton is also out for the Nets, they will have problems keeping Vucevic off in the paint and I believe the Bulls will at least breach the 110 points mark here while Nets at least 105. I believe the total points range here is 220-230.

Prediction: Bulls have been one of the best teams in the league recently and they are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. On the other hand, the Nets have not been accountable on the defense and if they continue like this, it will be the repeat of last season. Chicago’s defense on the other hand is not elite but yes, it hasn’t been terrible by any stretch of imagination, still there have been opportunities to score 110 or more as they rapidly go up and down the floor. Will the Bulls attack the Nets inside with their paint defense weakened significantly. I believe even if Kyrie and Harden end up missing the game, if Durant plays then the Nets will fight here. Still, I take the Bulls 119:110 here.

• Total 1 116.5 Over for 2.10;
• Win: Chicago Bulls for 1.83;
• Team Props: BKN Nets Under 113.5 for 1.86.