The Chicago Bulls (24-48), 11-point underdogs, will be at Little Caesars Arena to square off against the Detroit Pistons (32-40) in a Central Division matchup. The games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 210 points and it can be seen on Fox Sports Detroit Plus at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 24, 2018.
Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons Betting Odds
Both teams were beaten in their last outing. The Pistons fell to the Houston Rockets, 100-96, while the Bulls were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-105.
Chicago had an offensive rebounding percentage of 37.0 (above their season average of 20.2) while Detroit had an offensive rebounding percentage of 28.6 (above their season average of 22.8). Blake Griffin led the way for Detroit with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to register his second triple-double this season. Cristiano Felicio, meanwhile led the way for Chicago, contributing 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Chicago could struggle to create turnovers. Detroit ranks ninth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 13.3 percent), while Chicago forces the third-fewest turnovers (12.7 percent).
Games including the Bulls have a slight tendency to go over the total (53.5 percent). Chicago heads into the contest with records of 24-48 straight up (SU) and 36-32-3 against the spread (ATS).
Vegas tends to set the total high when the Pistons are involved, as 41 of their 71 games have gone under the O/U total. Additionally, Detroit is 32-40 SU and 33-37-2 ATS.
The Bulls Bobby Portis has been playing at a high level over his last five games, averaging 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Meanwhile, Griffin has averaged 21.2 points, 7.0 assists and 6.4 rebounds during that same time frame for the Pistons.
The Pistons had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 99-83 victory, to even the season series at one. Griffin scored a game-high 25 points. Detroit’s free throw rate was their largest advantage over Chicago. The Pistons had a rate of 0.173, while the Bulls posted a mark of 0.086. The two teams combined to score 182 points, which was well under the projected point total of 214, and Detroit covered as an 8-point favorite.
Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Pistons, ATS Winner – Bulls, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Neither of these teams are great at blocking the ball. The Pistons are 27th in the NBA with 3.9 blocks per game while the Bulls are 29th with 3.6 blocks per game.
- Chicago ranks ninth in assists per game (23.6) while Detroit ranks 27th in assists allowed per game (24.8).
- The Pistons rank first in fast break points allowed per game (9.6) while the Bulls rank 13th (11.5).
- Chicago ranks seventh in rebounds per game (44.7) while Detroit ranks 19th in rebounds allowed per game (43.8).
- Detroit ranks 19th in points in the paint per game (43.7) while Chicago ranks 26th (41.8).
- The Pistons rank 12th in points off turnovers per game (16.8) while the Bulls rank 27th (14.7).
- The Bulls rank third in steals allowed per game (7.0) while the Pistons rank 10th (7.3).
- Chicago ranks fifth in second chance points allowed per game (11.4) while Detroit ranks seventh (11.4).
- Chicago averages 30.8 three pointers per game, which ranks ninth in the NBA. Detroit ranks 23rd in three pointers allowed per game (30.4).
- In games where they allow under 100 points, Detroit is 18-6 and Chicago is 6-6.
- When scoring over 100 points, the Bulls are 22-24 and the Pistons are 28-17.
- Chicago is 17-17-1 ATS on the road, while Detroit is 15-19-1 ATS at home.
- The Bulls have 21 overs and 14 unders in 35 road games.
- The Pistons have 18 unders, 16 overs and 1 push in 35 home games.
Betting Trends:
- The Pistons are 4-1 ATS over their last five games, while the Bulls are 3-2.
- In their last five games, Detroit has 4 unders and 1 over, while Chicago has 3 overs and 2 unders.
- During their last five games, the Pistons have scored an average of 103.4 points per game (0.6 above their season average) and allowed an average of 99.6 points per game (4.2 below their season average).
- The Bulls average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 13.6, up from 6.5 for the season.
