Chicago Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Odds, Analysis, NBA Pick
The Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors (43-8) will go for their fourth win in five meetings with the Chicago Bulls (26-26) on Wednesday as big home favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.
The Warriors are coming off a rare loss to the Sacramento Kings away from home on Saturday. On Monday, the Bulls blew a 27-point lead against those same Kings before holding on for a close road victory.
Point spread: The Warriors opened as 13.5-point favorites; the total is at 220.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (view line updates and matchup report).
NBA pick, via OddsShark computer: 122.0-106.0 Warriors (view NBA picks on every game).
Why the Bulls can cover the spread
Chicago continues to be one of the hardest teams to handicap in the NBA, and its most recent win again showed why. Despite playing without leading scorer Jimmy Butler due to a heel injury, the Bulls dominated the Kings for much of the game before seeing their massive lead disappear down the stretch.
Still, they hung on behind Dwyane Wade's game-high 31 points, with 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter. Butler is questionable to return at Golden State but would give them a big boost.
Why the Warriors can cover the spread
With or without Butler, the Warriors outmatch Chicago at every position, which is one reason why they have gone 3-1 against the spread in winning three of the past four meetings, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
In the last game between the teams at Chicago more than a year ago, Golden State won 125-94 to easily cover the six-point spread at sports betting sites, with Butler and Derrick Rose combining for 52 points. The Bulls will be hard-pressed to get that kind of offensive production from their top two scorers this time around, and they must deal with defending new addition Kevin Durant as well.
Smart pick
After their previous seven losses, the Warriors bounced back to win their next game by at least eight points each time. Five of the seven were decided by 10 or more, and that will likely be the case again here.
Sure, Chicago won at Sacramento, while Golden State did not in their last games. But the Bulls are a chemistry experiment gone bad and will struggle to keep up with the Warriors whether they have Butler or not. Bet on Golden State to blow out Chicago before hitting the road for a three-game trip starting Friday.
Betting trends
Golden State is 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games.
Golden State is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five games at home.
The total has gone over in five of Chicago's last six games.
All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
