Alex Hunter breaks down his preview, prediction and pick for Sunday’s NBA matchup between the Kings and the Bulls.
The Kings are hosting the Bulls on Sunday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Chicago is favored by 2.5 points and this game carries a total of 236.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick.
Kings vs. Bulls Preview
The Kings are having a terrible season, sitting in last. place with a 14-50 record and ranking second to last in net rating. They’ve only won two of their last 22 games and have their second matchup with the Bulls tonight. Chicago won the first round 126-113 in October.
Precious Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud have given the team some solid production in the frontcourt, while Russell Westbrook pieces together some strong outings as well. That said, the team isn’t producing many wins. At this point of the season, the organization most likely prefers to keep losing, in hopes of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
The Bulls are in a similar situation. After a decent start to the season, Chicago has won just two games since the start of February. The Bulls are the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference at 26-37 and they rank 24th in net rating. That being said, those two wins have come in the team’s last three games, notching a home win over the Bucks last Sunday and a road win over the Suns on Thursday.
Phoenix is 21-13 at home this season and the Bulls were without Josh Giddey (ankle) and Matas Buzelis (ankle). The Bulls were 11.5-point underdogs. Collin Sexton poured in 30 points and Tre Jones added 21 points.
Buzelis and Giddey are questionable for tonight, so their return would be a big boost for the team. Giddey is having a career season, averaging 17.7 points, 8.4 assists and 8.2 rebounds per game. Buzelis is averaging 16.7 PPG since the All-Star break.
Kings vs. Bulls Pick, Best Bet
At least one of Giddey or Buzelis should suit up tonight, and the Bulls should be able to get a road win over this lowly Kings squad.
Chicago has covered in three straight games and the team should extend this streak to four in a row tonight.