Bulls vs. Hornets NBA Odds, Preview and Pick (Archive)
The Bulls and Hornets meet in Charlotte. The top sportsbooks have released their NBA odds for tonight’s game between Chicago and Charlotte. Currently, the Bulls are trying to hang with top-seeded Miami atop the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s current losing streak has it struggling for playoff contention. The Hornets are, right now, one game above .500. For reasons that I will explain, you should play the spread for this game.
Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 – 7:30 PM EST at Spectrum Center
Three-Pointers
Charlotte's shot profile is very much influenced by analytics. Hence, the Hornets love to shoot three-pointers, especially at the cost of attempting mid-range shots. They attempt the six-most threes per game.
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LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Kelly Oubre Jr. are the team's highest-volume three-point shooters. All three players have made three-point shooting a stronger part of their game. Ball averages 7.1 three-point attempts per game while the latter two average around eight per contest.
Bull Defense
Defense contributes strongly to Chicago's meteoric rise this season. Individual players have received praise for Chicago's defense. Given the praise accorded to Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball for forming a strong defensive tandem, it may seem like their respective injuries constitute a cause for concern for Bull backers. But as evident by Chicago's opposing three-point attempt rate and by the frequency with which it allows open and wide-open three-point attempts, the Bull perimeter defense remains strong. This season, Chicago ranks third-best at limiting opposing three-point attempts.
Moreover, the Bulls allow open three-point attempts with the fifth-lowest frequency and wide-open three-point attempts with the fourth-lowest frequency. These statistics indicate that -- even without Ball and Caruso -- the Bulls are great at running opponents off the three-point line and at making their three-point attempts as difficult to convert as possible.
Chicago's perimeter defense continues to be strong because of its scheme and because of its players' ability to execute that scheme. Specifically, Bull defenders are very aggressive. They harass opposing ball-handlers, force turnovers, and generally keep opposing offenses from entering into a rhythm. It would be a grave mistake to bet the Hornets or to like them in any fashion because Caruso and Ball are missing for the Bulls. Plus, the Hornets have anyhow been shooting horribly from three. They've dropped in three-point efficiency ranking as, in their last three games, for example, they've averaged a 27.7-percent three-point conversion rate.
Their poor shooting helps explain Charlotte's ongoing five-game "under" streak. It is true that the Bulls haven't been winning a lot of games lately -- although their form isn't nearly as bad as Charlotte's, which has now dropped five straight games -- but they did recently beat Portland, which is another team that relies heavily on shooting threes, by 14 points.
Attacking the Basket
In line with its devotion to analytics, Charlotte also loves to attack the basket. The Hornets attempt the third-most field goal attempts per game within five feet of the basket. They'll drive to the hoop in the half-court and they'll try to attack the bucket in transition. However, Chicago is stout defensively in front of the basket. It will send extra help to the middle of the free-throw line and have its players dig from the perimeter in order to disturb opposing ball-handlers inside the arc.
Given its aggressiveness, Chicago allows the ninth-lowest field goal percentage within five feet of the basket. Moreover, Charlotte won't flourish in transition as it likes to do especially with Ball. The Bulls allow the sixth-fewest points in transition per game especially because they excel at limiting transition opportunities in the first place.
Bull Offense
Whereas Charlotte's most important players will struggle to score on the Bull defense, Chicago's biggest stars will flourish. The Hornets are repeatedly allowing opposing shooting guards to go off. Most recently, Fred VanVleet made six threes in his team's 15-point win in Charlotte. Boston's Josh Richardson off the bench and others have lately garnered similar success.
Zach LaVine will likewise flourish for the Bulls. He'll continue his strong February -- he's shooting 50 percent from deep this month -- against this porous Hornet perimeter defense. A narrow loss to elite Phoenix notwithstanding, the Bulls tend to flourish when he drains a lot of threes. So his success will help ensure a Chicago victory tonight. For the above reasons, invest in Chicago with your NBA picks.
NBA Pick: Bulls -4.5 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline 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.