Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls 1/12/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls Matchup Preview (1/12/22)

On Wednesday, two Eastern Conference titans will clash in this matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, this game may not be all that it could be: the Nets have several players who are questionable due to injury, including James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Nic Claxton. Irving has stated his intention to play but is still listed as questionable. Brooklyn has struggled recently, dropping five of its past seven games, which have featured losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. Anything is possible for the Nets, though, as they still have Kevin Durant on their team. This season, Durant has been an MVP-caliber player and has even led the Nets to win when they were missing all of their best players.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls are on fire, winning ten of their past 11 games. They dropped a game to the Dallas Mavericks, who have been playing surprisingly well recently but bounced back with a massive 56-point win against the Pistons. The Bulls will be without Alex Caruso, Javonte Green, and of course, Patrick Williams; however, they still have plenty of firepower in their lineup and rotation to compete with the likes of Brooklyn. Regardless of whether Irving and Harden play, this should be a close game. Both teams will try to flex their muscles and prove why they are the top dog in the Eastern Conference. Take a look below at a more detailed betting analysis for this Wednesday matchup.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls Betting Odds

When writing this article, the spread has the Bulls giving one point to the Nets. Kyrie Irving says he will play against Chicago but is still questionable. Keep an eye on Harden and Irving’s status in the next 24 hours before making a bet, unless you are all over the Nets covering regardless of if they play. The Bulls lost a challenging game to the Mavericks in Dallas but bounced back tonight with a 56-point win against the Pistons. Unless Harden, Irving, and Claxton are cleared to play, I will be betting on the Bulls ATS.

TV Schedule

Date: 1/12/22
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: United Center – Chicago, IL
Channel: ESPN

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Brooklyn Nets Starting Lineup

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: David Duke Jr
SF: Deandre’ Bembry
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Nicolas Claxton

Brooklyn Nets Analysis

Brooklyn has been somewhat cursed since bringing Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden together to play on the same team. It started with all of the injuries last year when it always felt like one or two of those three were out with an injury. This season, it was impossible for them all to play together up to this point due to Kyrie Irving refusing to get vaccinated. Since Harden joined the Nets, all of the Nets’ “Big Three” have only played together a small fraction of the time. There will be an opportunity for this to happen in Chicago if Harden and Irving are cleared, but at the moment, they are both questionable to play. The Nets will need these guys to get plenty of floor time with each other to make sure they build chemistry, but Irving not being allowed to play in home games will continue to complicate things.

Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup

PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Derrick Jones Jr
C: Nikola Vucevic

Chicago Bulls Analysis

The Bulls have looked terrific recently, winning ten of their past 11 games. Their only loss came to a red-hot Mavericks team on the road, and that was bound to happen at some point. They responded by blowing the Pistons out of the gym on Tuesday night, which is a good sign for their continued success. Chicago has most starters healthy and playing their best basketball together to date. Hopefully, the Bulls will be able to return Patrick Williams at some point but will be relying on Derrick Jones Jr and Javonte Green when he returns from his groin injury in the meantime. The rest of the Bulls starters will be available for this matchup and are showing an incredible amount of chemistry. If the Nets are not at full strength, they could be in trouble on Wednesday night against one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Chicago Bulls Daily Fantasy Picks

James Harden and Kyrie Irving are questionable with a knee and ankle injury, respectively. If neither, or only one, of them can go against the Bulls on Wednesday night, then Kevin Durant becomes a must-play DFS player. Due to various injuries and many players coming in and out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Durant has found himself in plenty of situations where he is the only real offensive threat for the Nets. This will once again be the case if Harden and Irving are sidelined. Durant has put together an MVP-caliber season, averaging a superb 29.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on a 52/36/89 shooting split. In his past 11 games, Durant has averaged just shy of 33 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Without Harden and Irving, Durant would be liable to drop 40-50 points in a competitive game between the two top dogs in the Eastern Conference. Keep an eye on the injury report as the game nears to see the status of Irving and Harden, but as it stands right now, Durant would be a terrific DFS play.

Nikola Vucevic is one of the Chicago Bulls’ unsung heroes this season. While LaVine, DeRozan, and Ball get a ton of press and are featured in most of the highlights, Vucevic has put together an impressive season, serving as the glue for this Bulls team. On the season, Vucevic has averaged 15.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Talk about doing a little bit of everything. In his past eight games, Vucevic has been even more impressive, posting just shy of 17 points and 15 rebounds on a nightly basis. The most important aspect of “Vuc” as a DFS play in this game, though, is the matchup. If Claxton cannot go, then I’m not sure who will be able to guard him. Aldridge is still out for the Nets, so they would likely be forced to deploy Day’Ron Sharpe on Vucevic. Sharpe has plenty of potential, but Vucevic is a veteran who has been a 2x All-Star and a dominant force for several years. This is a matchup made in Heaven for “Vuc.”