Los Angeles Clippers vs Chicago Bulls betting tips and predictions for Monday’s NBA game on NBA TV. The Clippers are hoping to beat the Chicago Bulls for the 2nd time in 2 meetings this season as the two teams lock horns at the crypto.com Arena. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers rallied in their first game without Paul George, but now after the dust has settled we’re seeing the full effects of that injury. LA lost at home to the New Orleans Pelicans 131-110 on Saturday, with 2 Pelicans wing players going over 30 points. That’s a clear indicator of the lack of defense now in the starting line-up with George not being to play, Russell Westbrook is a net negative defensive player at this point of his career.
With the Bulls having DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine at those positions, it could be another long night for the Clippers here. They did win the first match-up back in early February, in a low scoring 108-103 victory. They hold a 7-3 SU edge in the last 10 head-to-head and have beaten the Bulls 5 times in the last 6 played in this building.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back here, after they beat the Lakers yesterday 118-108. It was a dynamic game throughout, but Chicago was able to overcome the return of LeBron James behind LaVine’s 32 points. Even the ejection of Nikola Vucevic in the first half didn’t harm their chances, Andre Drummond came off the bench and did a solid job on Anthony Davis down the stretch.
This team isn’t without it’s flaws, but they’ve been on a really solid run lately winning their last 6 games on the road and covering the spread in 5 of their last 6 overall. Aside from Lonzo Ball who has been lost for the season, there are no significant injuries to their roster, which is a big deal this late in March. A win tonight would lift them up in a 3-way tie with the Hawks and Raptors for the 8th seed.
Chicago is the slightly more in-form team, I’ve been really impressed with their recent run on the road. Losing PG13 was a disaster for the Clippers, now they’re forced to play Westbrook heavy minutes which isn’t ideal. I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to the road team here and back them to cover the spread.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Chicago Bulls Predictions & Odds
Chicago went on fire from three-point land yesterday in this building against the Lakers. They finished the game shooting an efficient 54% from the field which is impressive whenever you’re playing on the road. This team actually leads the NBA in defensive rating since the all-star break, and tonight against the low scoring Clippers we might see a dip in scoring.
LA has gone under the total in 4 of their last 6 games vs Eastern Conference teams. Having Westbrook in the line-up increases their tempo a bit, but they are still just 11-26-1 on the O/U in home games this season. The Bulls have also seen more games cash on the under than the over in road games this year, so I think they’ll once again rely on their defense to come out on top here. The first meeting of the season saw just 211 points, I think we’re in for a similar outcome tonight. Go with the under.
