Milwaukee Bucks (51-31) vs Chicago Bulls (46-36)
Game Info: Sunday, April 17, 2022 at 6:30 pm (Fiserv Forum)
Betting Odds: Milwaukee Bucks -10 -- Over/Under: 229.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks meet Sunday in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at the Fiserv Forum. The Chicago Bulls enter the playoffs, losing 10 of their last 15 games. The Milwaukee Bucks enter the playoffs, winning 14 of their last 20 games.
The Chicago Bulls are averaging 111.6 points on 48 percent shooting and allowing 112 points on 47.4 percent shooting. DeMar DeRozan is averaging 27.9 points and 4.9 assists, while Zach LaVine is averaging 24.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic is the third double-digit scorer and Lonzo Ball is dishing 5.1 assists. The Chicago Bulls are shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent from the free throw line. The Chicago Bulls are allowing 36.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 42.3 rebounds per game.
The Milwaukee Bucks are averaging 115.5 points on 46.8 percent shooting and allowing 112.1 points on 45.6 percent shooting. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.9 points and 11.6 rebounds, while Khris Middleton is averaging 20.1 points and 5.4 assists. Jrue Holiday is the third double-digit scorer and Bobby Portis is dishing 1.2 assists. The Milwaukee Bucks are shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and 77.6 percent from the free throw line. The Milwaukee Bucks are allowing 35.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 46.7 rebounds per game.
The Bulls are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 road games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Bucks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite and 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS loss. The over is 5-1 in Bulls last 6 overall. The over is 6-0 in Bucks last 6 overall. The Bulls are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Milwaukee and 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
I'm not thrilled with seeing double-digit chalk in playoff games, and I considered just grabbing the points here. However, the Chicago Bulls were awful over the last month, and they're still dealing with a banged up roster. The Bulls lost their last five games by an average of 14.8 points while allowing 53.2 percent shooting from the field. The Milwaukee Bucks are the sort of team that will mop the floor with a lesser opponent, and they beat the Bulls by 21 points on the road a couple of weeks ago. Big number, but the Bulls have to give us some sort of confidence before we can look their way again. It's Bucks or pass for me.
Randy’s Pick Milwaukee Bucks -10
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds