Bulls vs. Bucks Odds, Preview, Prediction: Bet Giannis, Milwaukee to Cover at Home (November 23)

Bulls vs. Bucks Odds

The Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, two long-time Central Division rivals, meet for the first time this season tonight at Fiserv Forum. The two teams met in the playoffs last season and the Bucks dispatched the Bulls with ease in just five games.

This season, the Bucks are already 5.5 games ahead of the Bulls in the division through 16 games. Will this matchup be a repeat of their playoff series? Let's take a look at how both teams have been playing of late to find some betting value here.

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Bulls Lack the Firepower to Contend

The Chicago Bulls are off to a rocky start to the season. They are coming off an impressive 121-107 home victory over the Boston Celtics, before that win they were losers of four straight, which included a home loss to the Orlando Magic.

Tonight’s game in Milwaukee will be the first game of a six-game road trip for the Bulls (though the trip from Chicago to Milwaukee is less than 100 miles). Chicago is 2-5 on the straight up and 4-3 against the spread in road games this season. The Bulls need to have a strong road trip or they could really start to fall behind in the Eastern Conference. It's early, but the Bulls are 11th in the east. A team with as much front-line talent as the Bulls should be playing better.

Playing on the road could be a bright-spot for the Bulls. So far this season DeMar DeRozan and Zach Levine are both playing better on the road than they are at home. DeRozan is averaging 30 points a night on the road but only 20 points per game at home. LaVine’s scoring average jumped from 21 to 23 in Chicago road games.

The problem with the Bulls is not with their top players, it's with those around them. Guys like Patrick Williams, Coby White and Alex Caruso are not living up to expectations. Missing Lonzo Ball does not help either.

It's time to be honest and admit that this Bulls team, as currently constructed, is not a contender in the East. They are at best a team that will qualify for the Play-In Tournament, but they are not an auto-fade at the betting window. There will be spots to back them. This season as road dogs the Bulls are 4-2 ATS.

Bucks Remain Dominant at Home

The Bucks started the season with nine straight wins, since then they are 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS, though Giannis Antetokounmpo missed two of those games.

The Bucks play the second game of a four-game home stand tonight after 119-111 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers Monday. They close out the home stand with games against the Cleveland Cavaliers (another division rival) and the Dallas Mavericks.

The Bulls were no match for the Bucks last season, Milwaukee went 4-0 SU  and 3-1 ATS against their division rivals. The Bucks blew the Bulls out in two of those games. The other two were close but the Bucks prevailed.

The dominance doesn't stop there: Since Antetokounmpo's first All-Star season, in 2016-17, the Bucks are 15-8 ATS (65%) against the Bulls in the regular season, according to Bet Labs.

Bulls-Bucks Pick

So far this season betting on home favorites has not been profitable for NBA bettors — 80-85-3 ATS (48%). The Bucks, though, have excelled as home favorites. On the season the Bucks are 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS at home, the fourth-most profitable team against the spread at home in the NBA, according to Bet Labs.

FanDuel opened this game with the Bulls as 7.5-point favorites, but that number has dipped by a point overnight. The total opened up at 218 and has since been bet up to 223. The over has cashed in three of the Bucks' last 4-games.

The Bucks are the chalk side tonight, but the truth is they are just flat-out better than the Bulls and should cover this number with no problem.

Pick: Bucks -6.5

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