Central rivals Chicago Bulls (26-32) and Milwaukee Bucks (40-17) hit the court for another matchup at United Center on Thursday. The Milwaukee Bucks are nine spots ahead of the 11th-placed Chicago Bulls, sitting second in the Eastern Conference. A run of five straight defeats has recently hit a sorry-looking Chicago Bulls to leave their campaign hanging in the balance. Can they get back on track at the United Center, or will the Milwaukee Bucks inflict more misery their way? Let’s check it out in this preview.

Form Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have not been doing well in their matches against teams from the Central Division. They have lost all three of their most recent divisional matchups. Their last match ended 117-113 against the Indiana Pacers, leaving them with a 4-6 record for their past 10 games.

The Chicago Bulls are more of an average side for the offensive side of the game. Entering Thursday’s matchup, the hosts are averaging 113.3 points per game. The defense, on the other hand, has really stepped up against opposing offenses of late. In the past five outings, the hosts have only given up 106.8 on average. This is better than how they’ve fared over the season, having allowed 113.4 per game in comparison.

After 58 regular season games, the Chicago Bulls are in serious danger of failing to return to the playoffs. Last year’s first-round contestants have only gone 26-32 this season. They rank 11th in the Eastern Conference, outside the postseason berths going into the second half of the year.

DeMar DeRozan, Goran Dragic, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., and Lonzo Ball are set to miss the Chicago Bulls game due to injuries.

Form Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks had a huge win in their last match against the Boston Celtics. They downed their opponents by a score of 131-125. The result extended their winning streak to 11 games, leaving the away team 40-17 for the season.

The Milwaukee Bucks average 114.9 points per contest, putting them near the middle of the pack among NBA teams for most points. Defensively, the away defense is one of the best in shutting out opponents, with 111.8 points conceded per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks are living up to their role as a genuine postseason contender. Last year, they made it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. They have a 40-17 record for the current regular season, placing them first in the Central Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference after 57 games.

Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis are all carrying injuries going into the latest Milwaukee Bucks game.

H2H

On December 2022, the Chicago Bulls won 119-113 against the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center in their last matchup. The Milwaukee Bucks have a 6-4 record against the Chicago Bulls from their last ten meetings. They have taken three wins out of five on the road.

In their past ten head-to-head games, the Chicago Bulls pulled off 104.4 points on average per game, whereas Milwaukee Bucks managed 113.2 points per match.

Standings

Betting

Odds for Milwaukee Bucks vs Chicago Bulls is Provided by Bet365. For a full list of odds for the match visit Bet365.com

• Moneyline (ML): Milwaukee Bucks (-300) | Chicago Bulls (+240)
• Against the spread (ATS): Milwaukee Bucks -7.5 (-105) | Chicago Bulls +7.5 (-115)
• Over/Under (O/U): 230.0 (-110) | (-110)

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Moneyline

Take the Milwaukee Bucks to win (1.33) on the moneyline.

Entering Thursday’s game, the Chicago Bulls find themselves in a difficult position as they have lost their last five games. Despite being listed as the underdog at +240 on the moneyline, the hosts are hopeful of pulling off an upset, having bagged seven victories in their last ten games played at United Center. The Milwaukee Bucks are the road favorites, with -300 odds on the moneyline indicating there is a 75% chance of an away win. Having won their last five games on the road and their most recent match, the visitors will be confident in their ability to achieve another victory.

Siding with a Milwaukee Bucks win on the moneyline looks worth a punt. They may be on the road, but their 11-0 run gives them an advantage over the Chicago Bulls, who have lost six out of ten matches recently.

Against the Spread

Take the Chicago Bulls +7.5 (1.87) as they are the best bet.

The Milwaukee Bucks take to the court as the 7.5-point road favorites in the NBA betting lines. They have been successful in three out of their last five trips to the United Center, obtaining a victory margin of 25.0 points on average.

The Chicago Bulls have gone five games without covering the spread. Their record for the season is 28-29-1 ATS. The hosts are 7-3 ATS from their past ten games at United Center, going 4-6 ATS in their last ten games overall.

In four of the last five games, the Milwaukee Bucks covered the spread. Their record is 32-23-2 ATS for the season. Backing the Milwaukee Bucks to cover the spread away from home has been a sound choice recently. In fact, in their last five road games, they have gone an impressive 5-0 ATS.

Over/Under

Take Total under 230.0 (1.91) on the total.

Based on their head-to-head record, the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks look primed for a low-scoring affair. Both sides haven’t produced too many points in their ten most recent matchups. They averaged 217.6 points between them, including 220.4 points in the last five at the United Center.

For this latest showdown, the total line is available at 230.0. This is 5.2 points higher than the combined 224.8-point average the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks put up in their last five meetings. Betting on the Under in the total market returns odds of -110.

The Chicago Bulls went under in their last two games at the United Center. Their home record is 11-15 O/U. Games at the United Center don’t always seem to produce the expected number of points. The total has gone under in four of the past five matchups home matches for the Chicago Bulls.

The last three Milwaukee Bucks road games went under the total. Their record away from home is 8-20 O/U. Against the total, the Milwaukee Bucks have gone over in two of the last five road matches. They are 4-6 O/U in the last ten overall.