Chicago Bulls vs Golden State Warriors Preview (12/2/22): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

Golden State will look to continue its improved play at the Chase Center against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. The projected starting lineups, up-to-date injury reports, and betting odds and picks are all listed below; take a look and see if you want to tail based on my prediction!

Chicago Bulls Vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Odds

Chicago is a seven-point road dog to the Golden State Warriors. The Bulls have maintained their health outside of Lonzo Ball and should have everyone else available for this bout. Meanwhile, the Warriors are only without Andre Iguodala, who isn’t a key player in their usual rotation anyway; his veteran presence will still be felt on the sideline.

Chicago Bulls Vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction

Few teams play below their overall talent level, like the Chicago Bulls. They have three NBA All-Stars (Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine), multiple young players with high upside (Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu), a talented lockdown defender (Alex Caruso), and plenty of veteran leadership (Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond.) Yet, despite all of that talent, the Bulls are in 12th place in a “gettable” Eastern Conference, with a below .500 record.

Even though Chicago has Williams and Caruso, two solid defenders, it still ranks 29th in opponent 3P% (three-point percentage) and 23rd in opponent eFG%. Chicago has dropped two of its past three games, with the only win coming against the sinking Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, until Lonzo Ball returns, the Bulls are going to continue to be a bottom-ten defensive team that struggles to find themselves in the playoff picture.

For as poorly as the Golden State Warriors have played in the first quarter of the 2022-23 season, they sure have covered the spread well at home. Golden State is 7-3 ATS at Chase Center and playing much-improved basketball in its past few games. Additionally, as mentioned above, the Bulls rank 29th in opponent 3P%, giving Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole an incredibly easy perimeter matchup. I will ride with the Dubs at home against a struggling Bulls squad!

Betting Trends

• Chicago is 5-5-1 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Golden State is 7-3 ATS at home in 2022-23
• The combined over record of these two teams is 22-20-1 in 2022-23

Key Matchups

If you weren’t able to put two and two together, the key matchup in this game is the ever-improving, seemingly timeless, Steph Curry versus the Chicago Bulls, and their terrible perimeter defense. See below how much of an advantage Curry will have on the Bulls in this non-conference bout!

Steph Curry vs. Chicago’s Defense

Due to the fact that Golden State has had a 20-game NBA Finals hangover, the dominance of Steph Curry has gone mostly under the radar. Curry has averaged close to 32 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on a 52/44/91 shooting split. You could make an argument that Curry has been playing his most well-rounded basketball ever. The rest of the Warriors are doing Curry a disservice right now, as they should be one of the two or three best teams in the Western Conference with his performance thus far.

Luckily, it almost doesn’t matter how well the rest of the Dubs squad plays in this matchup. Chicago ranks next-to-last in three-point defense, clearing the way for Curry to have a ballistic game, especially at home. Dosunmu and Caruso are solid defenders, but with the number of screens they will have to run through, they’ll hardly be able to contest Curry, and if DeRozan or LaVine switches onto him, they will be exploited. Advantage: Steph Curry.

Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup

PG: Ayo Dosunmu
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Patrick Williams
C: Nikola Vucevic

Golden State Warriors Starting Lineups

PG: Steph Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney

Key Injuries

Chicago Bulls Injuries: Lonzo Ball (Out)

Golden State Warriors Injuries: Andre Iguodala (Out)