Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic Picks and Predictions Jan 3
Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic Predictions
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic betting preview for Monday, January 3. At the time of posting, the Bulls are holding steady as a 14-point home favorite over the visiting Magic, with the total sitting at 221.5 points.
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| Monday, January 3 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Chicago Bulls -14 vs Orlando Magic |
| Total: | 221.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Arena: | United Center in Chicago |
| TV: | NBC Sports Chicago |
Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic Analysis
The Magic are coming off an overtime loss to Boston last night and will travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls who are coming off of two straight wins by walk-off shots from Demar DeRozan.. That makes it seven straight wins in a row for Chicago, and five straight losses for the Magic. The Bulls are 14-point favorites with a total of 221.5 tonight, so let’s see where the value is in the betting markets on this game.
It’s just been a brutal stretch for Orlando as they are 3-19 in their last 22 games, and they’ve just been ravaged by injuries and COVID issues. They are getting players back one game at a time, but Cole Anthony is still dealing with a sprained ankle, and it’s looking like this injury is worse than initially thought. He’s listed as questionable, but I don’t have high hopes for him playing or being effective when he does play.
The subs of Orlando have played spirited basketball as they got beat pretty bad twice by Milwaukee, but they took Boston to OT last night, and kept it within 10 to Miami, and New Orleans and even got a win against a depleted Atlanta team. While one win in the last six games isn’t impressive, it’s not awful considering the caliber of players they had available. They’ve also scored 110 or more in three straight games, so offensively they haven’t been…offensively bad.
The Bulls are playing winning basketball as they are 11-2 the last 13, but they’re only 5-5 ATS they’re last 10, so they haven’t been a great team to bet on ATS. Their last two wins on last second shots were definitely fun and exciting, but they were both low percentage shots that could have easily turned out to be two straight up losses.
DeRozan’s game winning shot against Indiana was his only made three pointer of the game, and the same can be said in the Washington game. The lack of defense was on display against Washington as Kuzma and Beal did whatever they wanted to against them, and it appears the absence of Caruso and Ball might be turning into a real defensive issue.
Playing a back to back off an overtime loss is a tough schedule for Orlando, so I think their backs are up against the wall in this one, and I think we’ll see it mostly on the defensive end so I expect a lot of points from the Bulls, which is why I’ll take the Bulls’ team total over 118.5 points as my official play in this game. They’ve scored 120 or more in four out of six games, and the two unders were against the Pacers. Orlando will have tired legs against a rested Bulls team who will put up points galore tonight.
OFFICIAL PLAY: Bulls OVER 118.5 Team Total
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Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic Preview from GoldSheet
Orlando is 5-8 in its last 13 vs. the points after covering roomy 10-point spread at Boston, with the Celtics scoring a 116-111 decision last night in Beantown. The Magic are 1-6 against the number playing the 2nd night of back-to-back games, as HC Jamahi Mosley’s squad has battled through Covid and injuries all season, and they weren’t very deep to begin with.
Only one Magic player, rookie F Franz Wagner, has played in all 37 games. Conversely, Chicago has won 7 straight and 11 of its last 13, sporting the 2nd-most efficient offense in the league in those 13 games and the Bulls have dealt with their own share of Covid problems and injuries but have still managed to grab the pole position at the top of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Bulls 6-3 last 9 laying double digits at the United Center. Play Chicago.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic contest.
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Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic clash, from a betting perspective.
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