The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls play their first game after the All-Star break on Friday. The Nets did not have anyone participate in the weekend’s activities, while the Bulls featured one All-Star, DeMar DeRozan.
A big part of why the Nets did not have any All-Stars was they traded them away at the deadline, drastically changing their team. But the Nets have not been terrible since then. On the other hand, the Bulls lost six straight before the break.
Let’s check the latest NBA news, stats, injury reports, and NBA Odds for Nets vs Bulls. We’ve plenty of NBA predictions for you to consider.
Nets Have New Identity
It is certainly not great that the Nets had to trade away two All-Stars, but they did get some decent players in return. While Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Dorian Finney-Smith will not have the same production as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the team can forge a new identity.
That new identity is undoubtedly helped out by head coach Jacque Vaughn signing a well-deserved extension during the All-Star break. Since taking over the Nets, he has gone 32-19, and while having two of the top players in the league on his roster helped, the team has remained solid.
The Nets seemed to struggle in the seven games since Irving requested a trade and Durant was unavailable due to injury, going 3-4 but keeping games close.
Now that the Nets have seemingly integrated four new key players, the team could be competitive. In the final game before the break, they beat the Miami Heat 116-105, Bridges scoring 45 points, with eight rebounds and five assists.
Bulls Need Offensive Help
This six-game losing streak for the Bulls has not been great for two reasons. One, they have slipped to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind a possible play-in spot. Two, the Bulls do not own their first-round draft pick this year unless they finish the season within the top four, which seems unlikely.
What is plaguing the Bulls at the moment is their offense. Through this losing streak, they were the only team averaging under 100 points per game, 97.8. They also posted the worst offensive rating during that time at 99.5. Making matters worse, the defense has been solid, with the fifth-best defensive rating through the losing streak.
There is no real solution for the offensive issues. Lonzo Ball has been officially ruled out for the season, which is not a shock to anyone. DeRozan played in the All-Star game but missed the two leading up to the break with a hip injury.
Even when on the court, DeRozan stats have diminished, averaging 16.3 points in the three games he played during the losing streak. Lastly, the Bulls could not bring anyone new through the buyout market, settling for Patrick Beverley, a player not known for his offensive ability.
Nets vs Bulls Game Injuries
Nets vs Bulls Head-to-Head
This is the final of four games between the Nets and Bulls this season. The Bulls won the first two, on the road and at home. The last game was during this losing streak, in which the Nets only had Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith available from their trades, winning that 116-105 on Feb. 9.
Nets vs Bulls Game Information
- Game: Nets (34-24) vs Bulls (26-33)
- Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
- Day/Time: Friday, Feb. 24, 8:00 p.m. EST
- Nets vs Bulls Live stream: NBA Game Pass
Nets vs Bulls Betting Lines
Nets vs Bulls Picks and Prediction
These teams entered the All-Star break on two different spectrums. The Nets won with their new ensemble with hope for the future, while the Bulls kept losing. It’s hard to say how they will play after a “mini vacation,” but the Nets went into the break much more confident. They have a lot more to prove, which could give them an edge to get the win, along with a more balanced team.
Betting the under on the points total is also not a bad bet; both teams are built to be more defensive-focused, with struggling offenses.
The Brooklyn Nets are listed at -130 in our Vegas NBA lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Nets, you have a chance to win $77. The Chicago Bulls is +110, offering a chance to win $110 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Brooklyn Nets a 56.52% chance to win, with the Chicago Bulls at 47.62%.
Nets vs Bulls Trends
Nets vs Bulls Edge
Nets vs Bulls Results
Nets vs Bulls Game Summary
Bulls vs Nets Previous Game (Feb. 09, 2023)
The Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets will take the court hours after Thursday’s trade deadline expires, but one of them has already undergone a complete overhaul (and could continue to reshape their roster). Days after shipping Kyrie Irving to Dallas, the Nets parted ways with fellow superstar Kevin Durant in a blockbuster with the Phoenix Suns.
Brooklyn has received a boatload of quality players in return for Irving and Durant, some of whom will debut Thursday against the Bulls. It’s a muddy picture, but we’ll do our best to prepare you for some online gambling.
Keep an eye on the moves before you place your bet online. If nothing else changes, take the team with at least some sense of normalcy. That would be the Bulls, who can steal one on the road against a squad undergoing a full-scale transformation.
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