Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, April 8th, 2022 

Venue:   United Center, Chicago, Illinois

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Bulls -2.5; O/U 228

Fanduel:  Spread:  NL

BetMGM:  Spread: Bulls -2.5; O/U 227.5

Hornets: 40-39, 10th place Eastern Conference

Bulls: 45-35, 6th place Eastern Conference

An NBA Eastern Conference matchup between teams that are secure in their playoff positions.  The Charlotte Hornets are in 10th place in the East with a full 5 game lead over the mathematically eliminated Washington Wizards… They are also a game and a ½ behind the Atlanta Hawks. They are secure in knowing that they will need to win a “play-in” tournament  game against the Cleveland Cavaliers or or possibly the Brooklyn Nets.  That is how the season has broken down.  The Hornets are the last place Eastern Conference team with a postseason possibility.  The main problem of course is the Center position.  The Hornets have nobody whatsoever that can produce a positive result against any other Center.  They actively and frequently play Mason Plumlee at that spot.  When the Hornets go into the NBA draft in a couple of months with the 14-15th pick they will be looking for that Duke Center 7’0 Mark Williams… who projects as a taller Elton Brand type in the pros.  He may not score like Elton… but he plays similarly.  If Williams is already gone then the Hornets will need to draft Walker Kessler, the Auburn Tigers 7’1 Center who rewrote the Auburn record books for blocks in the season… and the SEC… and college basketball’s.  Either player would improve the Center position from Day one… they will also need a Free Agent Center to further bolster that spot.  The rest of the Hornets roster are an offensive explosion who turn into a defensive disaster at the other end.  The Hornets are not long for the postseason… and possibly not this game.  The Chicago Bulls are set with the idea of being in 6th place and need to win 1 of their last few games to keep it.  This could be that game.  The Bulls have a great roster that features real team play… they just have not been able to beat any of the good teams in the league.  If you combine Milwaukee, Miami, Philadelphia, and Boston… the Bulls have not gotten a win in any of those games since November 2021… For real, all these teams beat Chicago regularly.  The Bulls may not be long for the Playoffs.  They, however, need full health more than any specific addition to the roster.  That makes the Bulls picking 18th-20th in the NBA draft open to anyone instead of anyone specific.  They could improve in any direction (few 20th picks in the draft represent immediate improvement)... but they really need all these first year Bulls to be healthy and get a second year. The Bulls may not be long for this coming playoffs… but they will be a winning team every year for the next few.

The Charlotte Hornets Have won 6 of their last ten games.  They went 5-5 ATS during that stretch.  They are currently on a 2-game losing streak that is endemic of the type of team they are.  They have lost to The Philadelphia 76ers embarrassingly 144-114… and the Miami Heat 144-115.  Both amazingly, drastic, losses ATS.  Both those teams have a playoff future and both have Great NBA Centers!  The Hornets hold up to no one with an average or above defense and especially no one with an average or above NBA Center.  The Hornets have neither thing and it always results in big losses.  They can beat the Knicks on offense alone and they can beat Brooklyn on offense alone…. But OMG that is because those teams have awful defenses.  The Hornets can not survive against a team with a defense and a Center.  The Bulls have both.

The Chicago Bulls have won only 4 of their last ten games. They are in a serious funk.  They went 4-6 ATS during that stretch.  Their last 3 games include an embarrassing loss against the Boston Celtics, an embarrassing loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, and an embarrassing loss against the Miami Heat.  The Hornets are not on that list of teams the Bulls always lose to… the Bulls actually won their two games against Charlotte (which were both on the road) because Charlotte has no defense to speak of.  The same will happen here at home.  C Nikola Vucevic will eat Mason Plumlee for lunch and complain to the waiter that he is still hungry.  The Bulls are a big favorite.  Vegas will not pout out a big spread because of Chicago’s last three embarrassing losses.  Scoop the $$.  It’s available on the Bulls.

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The Hornets are 40-39 on the season, but 42-35-2 ATS.  They have logged 39 Overs, 39 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 20-20 on the road.

The Bulls are 45-35 on the season, but 41-38-1 ATS. They have notched 38 Overs, 41 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 27-13 in home games.

The Charlotte Hornets are 5th in scoring with 114.8 ppg, 12th in rebounds with 44.5 per game, and 3rd in AST/TO ratio with 2.1.  On defense they rank a lowly 28th while allowing 115.1 ppg from opponents.  Yes, they allow .3 more points a game than they score. That disparity is reflected in their .500 record as the season comes to a close.

The Chicago Bulls are 14th in scoring with 111.4 ppg, 28th in rebounds with 42.4 per game, and 9th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9.  On defense they rank 16th while allowing 111.6 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Friday, April 8th is….. Bulls 132 - Hornets 115

The Bulls will easily win this.  The Hornets have no defense and it shows every single time they play.  The Bulls have a Center and an average defense.  The result if we look at the numbers, especially the +/- at the Center position… any four players on the Bulls with Vucevic will get this win.

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Chicago is 21-8 ATS as a home favorite this season.
The Bulls are 30-20 ATS against Central division opponents the last 3 seasons.

Hornets: SF Gordon Hayward (foot) Doubtful

Bulls: PG Lonzo Ball (knee) Out ** SG Alex Caruso (back) Quest

Hornets: SF Miles Bridges, PF PJ Washington, C Mason Plumlee, PG LaMelo Ball, SG Terry Rozier

Bulls: SF DeMar DeRozan, PF Pastrick Williams, C Nikola Vucevic, SG Zach LaVine, PG Ayo Dosunmu

Hornets: James Borrego

Bulls: Billy Donovan