The Bulls are a two-possession underdog at home against a 4-0 Utah Jazz team that has won every game by nine or more points this year. Do the Bulls have what it takes to knock off Utah for the first time? Let’s break down the NBA odds for this matchup.
Saturday, October 30, 2021 – 8:00 PM EDT at United Center
It’s early this season but we might be watching two potential NBA Championship contenders compete against one another tonight. The Utah Jazz will take their 4-0 record to Chicago to take on the Bulls who are 4-1. The Bulls recently lost a near comeback win to the Knicks, by one point. Other than that, the Bulls have been fantastic and look great with their new-look lineup.
On the other hand, the Jazz are busy blowing out opponents, winning every game by at least nine points or more to start the year. The Jazz, through four games, has the best offense in the NBA.
They’re averaging 116.6 points per 100 possessions, which is first in the NBA. They’re shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55.1 percent and are bringing down offensive rebounds at a high clip of 30.6 percent.
On top of that, the Jazz are getting to the foul line at the third-highest rate in the NBA. However, it’s not going to be nearly as easy against the Bulls’ defense, which has been sneaky good. The Bulls are second in the NBA with turnover percentage on the defensive end and have allowed just 100 points per 100 possessions through five games.
The Jazz just have so much depth with six players currently in double figures and no player averaging more than 20 points per game. On the flip side, the Bulls have limited turnovers and are about average when it comes to shot selection. They’ve scored 109.9 points per 100 possessions and have a 52.4 percent effective field goal percentage, which is in the mid-pack of the NBA.
However, they’re able to get to the line at the highest rate in the NBA, despite not really doing much on the offensive glass. While the Jazz struggle to rebound and crash the glass on the offensive end, they’re at least keeping the ball and taking shots. You can’t score if you’re not putting up shots. The Jazz defense has been very good to start the year as well.
They’re limiting teams to just 97.3 points per 100 possessions while holding teams to an effective field goal percentage of 45.1 percent. The Jazz aren’t aggressive and don’t try to steal the ball. They’d rather keep you in front and force terrible shots. They do that very well.
This is a great matchup and can really go a couple of different ways. If Utah wants to stick around in this game, rebounding on the offensive glass will be the area that they’ll need to excel. They’ll also need to limit turnovers and get as many shots up as they can. For the Bulls to win, the Bulls will need to get to the line more frequently than the Jazz and ultimately, win the turnover battle.
If the Bulls are able to get to the line more and win the turnover battle, despite losing the rebounding battle, I still think the Bulls will stick around in this game. Zach LaVine is averaging 25.4 points per game and he’s got so much talent around him to make him a better player as well. Give me the Bulls, at home, with the points for my NBA pick.
NBA Pick: Bulls +4.5 (-110) at 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.