Utah Jazz vs. Chicago Bulls Odds, Preview, Prediction
Jazz vs. Bulls Odds
| Jazz Odds | -3.5 |
| Bulls Odds | +3.5 |
| Over/Under | 219 |
| Date | Saturday, Oct. 30 |
| Time | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ATRM |
On Saturday evening, the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls will battle at United Center. The Jazz enter play tonight as the only remaining unbeaten team in the NBA, having beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets. Chicago has won four of their first five contests to begin the new campaign, with their lone loss coming by one point on Thursday night to the New York Knicks. Oddsmakers anticipate a tightly-contested affair between these two teams, pricing Utah as 3.5 point road favorites on the spread.
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup between the two teams and see where NBA bettors can find value at sportsbooks for this Saturday night game in Philadelphia.
Utah Jazz (-3.5)
The Jazz will be without Mike Conley in this one, who will rest tonight as part of a maintenance program to keep his right knee healthy. His absence is unlikely to be a tremendous blow to a Utah roster that has arguably the best depth of any team in the NBA. The Jazz have seven players averaging 8.5 points or more. Donovan Mitchell has been outstanding with averages of 20.0 points and 5.0 assists to lead the way, but he has a great supporting cast around him. Rudy Gobert is leading the league in rebounding, collecting 17.8 boards per night, despite only playing 30.8 minutes. Gobert is also one of four players for the Jazz, including Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson, who are averaging 17.0 points or more per contest. Utah has plenty of offensive weapons, which has unsurprisingly translated into the best offensive efficiency rating of any team in basketball during the early part of the season. Part of their success is attributable to the fact that this group has the best free throw rate in basketball, meaning that they are scoring a lot of points with the clock stopped.
Defensively, the Jazz have also been stout, allowing only 96.0 points per 100 possessions, which ranks second in the NBA. Utah has stifled opponents at the three-point line, allowing teams to shoot only 23.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is the best mark in the league. Despite having Gobert pacing the league in rebounding, Utah only ranks 13th in this category as a team. They have also done a poor job limiting their opponent’s second chance opportunities. Fortunately, this weakness is unlikely to be a concern against a Chicago team that has only one player averaging more than 5.8 rebounds per game.
Chicago Bulls (+3.5)
Chicago has certainly received an abundance of media attention early this year, starting 4-0 after acquiring celebrity Lonzo Ball, and veteran DeMar DeRozan in the offseason. Yet, it is worth noting that Chicago has zero wins against talented opponents. The Bulls have defeated the Detroit Pistons twice and Cade Cunningham missed both of those games. Chicago beat the New Orleans Pelicans, who were missing Zion Williamson. The Bulls also managed to knock off the Toronto Raptors, who were missing Pascal Siakam. It would be wise for bettors to wait for a larger sample size against better teams before buying stock in this group.
Though Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Ball, and DeRozan form a lethal top-four on this roster, it is the lack of depth that is going to make it difficult for Chicago to be a legitimate contender this season. Only four players are averaging more than 8.4 points per game. One of Chicago’s best defenders, Patrick Williams, will now be sidelined for the foreseeable future after tearing a ligament in his left wrist. The Bulls are going to struggle to replace those 25.0 minutes of time on the court with a viable backup.
Against one of the best defenses in the league, Chicago is likely to struggle to put points on the board in this one.
Jazz vs. Bulls Pick
It is not often that bettors find themselves with an opportunity to bet on the NBA’s best regular season team with only a three-point spread. Though Conley’s absence is a contributing factor, this spread is also influenced by the undue media hype surrounding the Bulls. Utah is a significantly more talented and more proven team. Take advantage of the chance to grab them at a near pick’em this evening.
This is also one of the most mispriced totals on the NBA market tonight. Both Utah and Chicago rank in the top five in defensive efficiency entering play. The Jazz rank 13th in pace and the Bulls rank 26th in pace. Utah has seen three of their four game totals hit 213 or less. Chicago’s game totals have hit 182, 179, 219, and 207—not counting their matchup against the defensively-challenged New Orleans Pelicans. Expect a slower pace and plenty of defense in this one. Take the under.
PICKS: Under 219 (-110)
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