Bulls vs Nets

Brooklyn leans on Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton at home against a Bulls team that, while 19-21 and on a modest upswing, is missing offensive hub Josh Giddey (19.2 points and 9.0 assists per game) along with Zach Collins and multiple rotation pieces, forcing Coby White, Nikola Vucevic and rookie Matas Buzelis into heavier creation on short rest. The Nets have dropped five straight to fall to 11-27, but they already handled Chicago 113-103 on the road in December behind 33 points and 10 boards from Porter, and now get the rematch at Barclays with cleaner health at the top of the rotation. With Brooklyn’s halfcourt offense flowing through a 25.7‑points‑per‑game Porter against a depleted Bulls group that just played a 128-126 shootout with Utah, I’m willing to side with the home favorite at -125 on the moneyline, grading this a solid B for confidence and price given the Nets’ recent skid. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/01/2026 09:44

Chicago’s offense has quietly become one of the more explosive units in the league at 117.2 points per game, but walking into Brooklyn without Giddey to orchestrate and with Collins still out should drag them toward more deliberate halfcourt possessions instead of the free-flowing style that produced recent 125- and 128-point outings. On the other side, the Nets’ 108.8 points per game and current five-game losing streak include several low-100s performances, and even their earlier 113-103 win in Chicago—with huge nights from Porter and Giddey—only landed at 216 combined, well short of this 227.5 total. Factoring in Brooklyn’s offensive inconsistency, Chicago’s diminished playmaking depth and both teams’ tendency to grind more in non-transition sets, I like Under 227.5 at -118 and would grade it a B+ given the injury context and recent scoring trends. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/01/2026 09:44

Cam Thomas’s microwave scoring off the bench and Brooklyn’s profile of winning by margin when it does break through make Nets -1.5 more attractive than laying -125 on the moneyline, especially after a prior 10-point road win over these Bulls powered by Porter’s 33-point double-double and Claxton’s short-roll playmaking. Chicago’s record is better, but with Giddey and Collins sidelined and depth pieces like Buzelis, Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips pushed into larger roles on the road, the Bulls look more vulnerable to a focused effort from a desperate Nets squad trying to snap a five-game skid at home. Given Brooklyn’s healthier top-end talent, the earlier head-to-head dominance and the small number to cover, I prefer Brooklyn -1.5 at -110 and grade this spread play a B+ on risk-reward relative to the moneyline price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/01/2026 09:44