Chicago Bulls vs Orlando Magic 2/22/19 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Chicago Bulls travel to the Magic Kingdom to take on the Orlando Magic on Friday night at the Amway Center in Orlando.

Not As Planned

The Chicago Bulls season didn’t go out as planned and the Bulls have the third worst record in the Eastern Conference at 14-44 despite having impressive seasons from Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. The Bulls have won just four times in their last 22 outings and three times in their last 11 games away from home.

LaVine is having his best season ever at 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Markkanen got hurt early in the season but is having a good one as well with 18.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Porter has fit in nicely so far and is contributing 22.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his first four games in Chicago. Kris Dunn is also playing well with 11.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

The Bulls have the third-lowest scoring average among NBA teams at 103.2 points per game this season. Chicago is ranked 27th in passing at 22.0 assists per game and are 26th of the glass with 42.1 rebounds per game. The Bulls have the 17th best scoring defense in the league at 111.6 points per game this season.

Magic Are Rolling

Don’t look now but the Orlando Magic are in the playoff picture. The Magic are 27-32 and are only one-half game behind the 8th seed in the East and just three games off the 6th seed. Orlando entered the All-Star break on a roll with five consecutive victories and winners of seven out of their last eight games.

First time All-Star Nikola Vucevic has been the star for the Magic. Orlando’s man in the middle is averaging 20.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game this season. Aaron Gordon is also having a good season with 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Magic. Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross are providing firepower with 14.9 and 14.6 points per game, respectively.

Orlando ranks 25th in team scoring at 105.8 points per game. They are also the 12th best passing team in the league at 24.9 assists per game and are 21st in rebounding at 44.4 boards grabbed per contest. The Magic are the 6th best defensive team in the league, allowing their opponents to score just 106.9 points per game.

Who Wins?

The Bulls are 4-18 SU in their last 22 games played and Chicago is 6-18 SU in their last 24 games played on the road. The Magic are 5-0 SU in their last five games and Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last five games played at home. Head to head, the Bulls are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against the Magic and Chicago is also 11-5 SU in its last 16 road games in Orlando.

It has been a rough season for the Bulls despite getting impressive seasons from Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. Chicago has lost 18 out of its last 22 games heading to this contest. The Bulls are also losers of eight out of their last 11 games played. It’s not going to get better on Friday.

Orlando entered the All-Star break as one of the hottest teams in the league. The Magic are 7-1 SU in their last eight games and they carry a five-game winning streak entering this contest. Orlando has also won four in a row at home and are playing probably their best basketball of the season.

Chicago is only 8-21 SU on the road this season while the Magic are a decent 16-15 SU at the Amway Center. The Bulls are clearly in disarray and after shuffling personnel at the trade deadline, things won’t get easier as the season resumes.

I’m picking the Orlando Magic to beat the Chicago Bulls on 2/22/19.

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Other Bets To Make

Chicago is 6-12-1 ATS in its last 19 games played. The Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last five games on the road. Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last five games played and the Magic are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games. Head to head, the Bulls are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings versus the Magic. Orlando however is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 home games against Chicago.

The Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games, 11-5 ATS when playing on three or more days rest and 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the Southeast Division. The Magic are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 Friday games, 4-0 ATS in their last four games at home and 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall. Orlando entered the break winning seven out of their last eight games and their last five wins came via a winning margin of 22.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the Bulls have lost by an average margin of 7.5 points on the road this season. I’ll ride the Magic at home against a struggling Chicago team.

Prediction: Magic -8

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The total has gone over in five out of the last six games played by the Bulls. The over is 7-3 in Chicago’s last 10 road games played. The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Magic. The over is also 3-2 in Orlando’s last five home games. Head to head, the under is 10-0 in the last 10 games between the Bulls and Magic. These teams have also seen the total go under in each of their last five meetings in Orlando.

The under has dominated the games between these two teams and in their first three head to head meetings of the season, the highest combined total between these teams was 196 points. They have played to the over though individually in their most recent games and Orlando is averaging 118.8 points per game in their last five games. I think Orlando stays hot and helps Chicago bring the total past 216.5 points.

Prediction: Over 216.5

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