Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA game. Two Eastern Conference foes are set to clash in Orlando as the Magic host the Chicago Bulls. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Chicago Bulls
What is going on with the Chicago Bulls? That is the question going around the entire NBA as the Bulls have dropped two games in a row against the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets. Losing by 32 against the Pacers was disappointing, but allowing the Houston Rockets to end a 15-game losing streak at your own expense is just plain embarrassing. DeMar DeRozan didn’t have the best of games with just 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting, but it’s not all on him. The Chicago defense just wasn’t there, they allowed the Rockets to shoot 50% from the field and drain 17 of 36 three-pointers. Getting back Nikola Vucevic also didn’t help, he had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his return after a long layoff due to covid-19. The Bulls are 6-4 in road games this season.
Orlando Magic
Orlando is really struggling right now and they are only 1-7 at home this season and have covered the spread just twice in 8 games at the Amway Center. Michael Carter-Williams, E’Twaun Moore, Cole Anthony and Terrence Ross could all miss tonight’s game due to various injuries. Those are all big blows for the offensively limited Magic, they’ve struggled with scoring in their last two games scoring just 99 and 92 points against the Hornets and Bucks. Cole Anthony is their leading scorer this season with 19.6 points per game, without him the Magic enter games as double-digit underdogs most nights. They have been able to keep games close lately, over their last 5 they are 4-1 ATS which means the effort is there, it’s just that they are really shorthanded with all the injuries.
Chicago needs to wake up here, after losing to the worst team in the NBA they have to respond with a big win. Can they do so? I’m not so sure, they’ve lost 3 of their last 4 against the Magic and have covered against them just twice in their last 6 games. Orlando is shorthanded, but they’ve been able to keep bettors happy by covering in 4 of their last 5 vs Eastern Conference teams. Give me the Magic and the free points here.
Orlando Magic – Chicago Bulls Odds
Orlando Magic – Chicago Bulls Predictions
Orlando +8.5 Point Spread is available at -110 odds on bet365
These two teams aren’t scoring that much in their last 10 meetings. The under has cashed in 7 of those 10 games, with a modest 202.4 points per game being scored. In fact if we expand that to the last 19 games, the under has landed 16 times. Playing at the United Center these two teams have gone under the total in 8 of their last 10. Chicago ranks 14th in offensive rating right now, while the Magic are just 27th. Pace wise, they are both somewhere in the middle of the pack, so I don’t expect many fast break opportunities in this game. Orlando’s offense ranks just 28th in shooting percentage with 53% of their attempts coming inside the arc. They also like to turn the ball over a lot, right now they are 6th in the NBA with a 15.8% TOV percentage. I’m expecting a slow paced game here, so let’s back the under.
Under 213.5 Total Points is available at -110 odds on bet365
