The Phoenix Suns are reeling after Thursday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and they’re in danger of falling even further out of the play-in tournament race on Saturday evening.
Phoenix hits the road on Saturday to play the Chicago Bulls, where it is favored despite the Bulls giving the New York Knicks a serious run on Thursday night, losing in overtime.
Chicago moved on from Zach LaVine at the deadline, but it still holds the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference since the Philadelphia 76ers keep losing.
The Suns are one of the worst defensive teams in the league over their last 10 games, and it’s hard to keep counting on their top line talent since they keep losing.
Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Saturday’s contest.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Durant took just 13 shots (and scored 22 points) in Thursday’s loss to the Spurs, but he should have a huge game on Saturday night against the second-worst scoring defense in the NBA.
KD is averaging 27.9 points per game since early December (when he returned from an injury) and 27.2 points per game for the season. The Bulls don’t have an answer for him on the defensive end, and they were torched by Karl-Anthony Towns – another three-level scorer – for 32 points on Thursday night.
The center position has been a revolving door for the Suns this season, and they rank 24th in the NBA in opponent rebounds per game.
Vucevic has been a double-double machine all season long, averaging 19.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3.
Both of these teams give up a ton of points, ranking in the bottom 10 in the NBA in opponent points per game, and the Bulls have played at one of the fastest paces in the league all season long (third in pace).
Over their last 10 games, the Suns and Bulls are 26th and 25 respectively in defensive rating, a big reason for their recent losing streaks.
Phoenix still ranks 11th in the NBA in offensive rating this season, so I think there’s a chance that we see a high-scoring affair on Saturday afternoon.
Both of these squads have struggled against the spread, and the Bulls have played high-scoring games all season long, giving up 120.6 points per game.
This total is up there, but it’s the bet I trust the most for this matchup.
Pick: OVER 239.5 (-110)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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