Bulls vs. Bucks NBA Playoffs Game 2 Predictions and Top Play (Archive)
The Milwaukee Bucks can take a 2-0 lead on the Chicago Bulls this Wednesday evening on TNT.
Sunday’s 93-86 win in Game 1 was not the smooth ride the Bucks expected, and both offenses will be looking for a better performance this time. Let’s see what the NBA odds for this matchup tell us!
Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 – 09:30 PM EDT at Fiserv Forum
The Bucks (39-44 ATS) is a 10-point favorite over the Bulls (43-39-1 ATS) at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks.
Chicago is 0-5 SU against the Bucks this season, but the Bulls are 2-3 ATS in those games, and both covers came when the Bulls were a double-digit underdog. Can the Bulls keep it close again?
Game 1 Recap: Bucks 93, Bulls 86
As has been the case all season, the Bulls could not beat a top team on Sunday in Milwaukee. But instead of seeing the Bucks cruise to an easy double-digit win, this was an ugly battle.
Chicago even led with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter despite shooting 33.3% at the time.
Fortunately, sanity won out, and the better team won the game. Chicago finished with a season-worst FG% (.323).
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In fact, Chicago’s two-worst games in FG% this season are against the Bucks, who have held the Bulls under 43% shooting in four out of five matchups this season.
DeMar DeRozan had the best season of his career, but his bad playoff reputation followed him into Game 1, his first playoff game with the Bulls.
DeRozan shot 6-of-25 from the field, his worst game of the season, and scored 18 points. He did have eight rebounds and six assists, but he is going to have to shoot much better than that.
The Bulls also got a dud out of Zach LaVine in his NBA playoff debut. LaVine scored 18 points on 19 shots and had as many turnovers (three) as assists.
It was a miracle the Bulls had a chance to win in the fourth quarter with DeRozan and LaVine giving so little on the offensive end.
That was made possible by a sloppy Milwaukee performance. In their first playoff game since winning the championship last year, the Bucks shot 40.5% from the field, 26.3% from three, missed eight free throws and turned the ball over 21 times.
It was not the first time this season that the Bucks squeaked out a low-scoring win over the Bulls at home.
Back on January 21, the Bucks won 94-90 in a game despite shooting 38.6% and hitting a season-low six threes.
It was a far cry from the March 22nd matchup where Milwaukee shot 61.0% against the Bulls in a 126-98 blowout win.
Milwaukee is 5- 22 when scoring fewer than 112 points this season, but the two lowest-scoring wins were against the Bulls.
On Sunday, the Bucks scored 34 points in the first quarter before going cold. Giannis Antetokounmpo was still solid with 27 points and 16 rebounds.
The Bucks are plus-75 on the scoreboard against Chicago with Giannis on the court this season.
The Bucks could not get their three-point shooting offense going. Khris Middleton was 1-for-7 from three and only scored 11 points.
He usually does not have two duds in a row, though his shooting numbers on the road (45.7 FG% and 40.9 3P%) have been much better than at home (42.8 FG% and 33.5 3P%) this season.
Can Chicago Beat a Top Team?
It would seem unlikely that the Bulls will go 0-8 against the Bucks this year, but they are just three losses away from doing so.
On the season, Chicago is just 5-12 ATS as an underdog of at least four points. As a double-digit favorite, Milwaukee is 10-7 ATS and 15-2 SU.
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Milwaukee is actually the second-worst home favorite to bet on this season as the Bucks posted a 14-24 ATS (36.8%) record in that split.
But Chicago was also one of the worst road underdogs, going 8-15 ATS (34.8%).
In a game where both offenses should be better than Game 1, it still feels right to trust the defending champs to deliver with the best player on the court.
Predictions
The Bulls are only the 17th team since 1984 to shoot under 35% in Game 1 of a playoff series.
While they only lost by seven points on Sunday despite their worst shooting game of the season, it just feels like Milwaukee’s room for improvement is also significant.
The Bulls have lost by 21-plus points twice in the last month to the Bucks.
This could be another one of those games if Middleton finds his shot for Milwaukee to go along with the dominance of Giannis. I would trust the Bucks for your NBA picks this Wednesday night.
Score Prediction: Bucks 120, Bulls 106
NBA Pick: Bucks -10 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.