Chicago Bulls Vs. Charlotte Hornets: Predictions, Starting Lineups (1/8/24)
For the second time in the past handful of days, the Bulls and Hornets will face off, with this edition taking place in Charlotte. See our Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets prediction, betting picks, and in-depth analysis below.
Chicago Bulls Vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction
Chicago and Charlotte, two Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers, have their second date in just the past week. The last matchup went about how you’d expect: it was low-scoring, and the Bulls won by double-digits. The only difference between their last game and tonight’s matchup is the venue, as the Hornets will be at home.
However, is home-court advantage worth this much, as Charlotte is only a 6.5-point underdog (9.5-point dogs on the road versus Chicago last week), despite still being without Gordon Hayward, Mark Williams, LaMelo Ball, Frank Ntilikina, and P.J. Washington?
For the Hornets, home-court advantage hardly matters; they are 4-11 at home instead of 4-14 on the road. Additionally, Charlotte is just 1-9 in its past ten games, with the sole win coming in an outlier win on the road versus the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls have been solid in their past ten games, winning six of them and boasting the second-lowest (best) defensive rating in the NBA in that span.
Much of their success on that end of the floor can be attributed to the three-headed defensive monster of Coby White, Alex Caruso, and Jevon Carter. Carter and Caruso, in particular, are elite at defending the point-of-attack, which is where Charlotte has been relying heavily on getting its output from.
Unfortunately, Rozier only posted 15 points on 17 shots in his last game against Chicago, and it is challenging to see him drastically improving with such talented defenders tracking him all night. Charlotte’s offense will likely sputter.
Further, Chicago has beaten Charlotte in five of its past six games and easily covered this 6.5-point spread in each win. The Bulls are fully loaded, having returned Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic from injury, which gives them mismatches and advantages all over the floor.
Still, Caruso, LaVine, and Patrick Williams are all questionable, so before laying down any money, ensure that they will be available for this game. If they play, the Bulls are an easy team to back here, especially with so many of their players feeling like these upcoming games are “auditions” for potential buyers at the trade deadline.
Chicago Bulls Vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction: Bulls -5.5 (-110)
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Chicago Bulls Vs. Charlotte Hornets Best Odds
After pounding the Hornets by 13 points in their home matchup last week, the Chicago Bulls are now 5.5-point road favorites in this bout versus Charlotte. Chicago has Moneyline odds of -250 to win its third-straight game against the Hornets this season, while Charlotte is a +200 home dog. The point total of 217 indicates an extremely low-scoring game, similar to their outing last week, which finished with only 195 combined points.
Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup
PG: Alex Caruso
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Patrick Williams
C: Nikola Vucevic
Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup
PG: Terry Rozier
SG: Cody Martin
SF: Brandon Miller
PF: Miles Bridges
C: Nick Richards
North Carolina Sports Betting Update
With North Carolina gearing up towards launching legal online sports betting in the state, there is no better time than right now to check out our North Carolina Sports Betting page for the latest updates, including which sportsbooks will have licenses in the state and what their projected promotions are for first-time users.
The Tar Heel state had to postpone online sports betting, but everything should be set to launch right before March Madness, which is exceptional timing; North Carolina and Duke are two of the biggest basketball schools in the country and should both be in the NCAA Tournament this season.
If you are having trouble deciding on which sportsbook you want to go with when online sports betting is launched, check out these pages: DraftKings (North Carolina), FanDuel (North Carolina), and Bet365 (North Carolina.)
Chicago Bulls Vs. Charlotte Hornets Injuries
Chicago has two players listed as “out” for this matchup: Lonzo Ball (knee) and Torrey Craig (heel.) Craig will make a return at some point this season, likely in February; however, Ball will not be available until the 2024-25 regular season at the earliest. Alex Caruso (neck) and Patrick Williams (ankle) hold questionable designations ahead of this bout.
It will be another long laundry list of injuries for Charlotte on Monday night: P.J. Washington (foot), Gordon Hayward (calf), LaMelo Ball (ankle), Mark Williams (back), and Frank Ntilikina (leg) will all be sidelined for the Hornets.
