8:10 pm
December 19

Nets @ Bulls

Who will WIN this matchup?

Brooklyn Nets (14-18)

@ Chicago Bulls (7-24)

 

Current odds:

Brooklyn Nets: (-125)

Chicago Bulls: (+105)

 

 The line for this game is Brooklyn by 1.5 points.

• The Brooklyn Nets are enjoying their longest winning streak in four seasons and will try to keep it going when they make a quick one-game road trip to visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Behind 22 points and a career high-tying 13 assists by D’Angelo Russell, the Nets outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 on Tuesday to cap a 3-0 homestand and stretch their winning streak to six games.

• The Bulls opened up a two-game road trip by erasing a 21-point deficit to win at San Antonio on Saturday before getting trounced 121-96 at Oklahoma City two nights later. Lauri Markkanen produced 16 points and 15 rebounds for Chicago in Monday’s loss, which featured a fight in the third quarter involving multiple players on both sides. The Bulls are without leading scorer Zach LaVine, who will miss his third straight game with an ankle injury.

• Veteran forward Jared Dudley is averaging 14.5 points in 24.5 minutes off the bench over the last two games and six of his 13 points against the Lakers came in the final five-plus minutes. “He really was the key,” coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters of the 33-year-old Dudley. “He’s the guy you play with in the park. He’s got tattered sneakers, he’s like 42 years old but the darn guy always stays on the court and his teams are always winning.” Joe Harris chipped in 19 points Tuesday and is hitting 54.2 percent of his 3-pointers over the last five games.

• New coach Jim Boylen was pleased with his team’s spirit in the comeback at San Antonio and saw some of the same attitude at Oklahoma City, even though the final result wasn’t what he hoped for. “That’s all we’ve been talking about is fighting for each other and we talk about being a pack of wolves,” Boylen told reporters while discussing the scuffle that mostly involved guard Kris Dunn and center Robin Lopez. “I thought we had some of that. I liked the look in our guys’ eyes when that happened. It bonded them a little bit.” Dunn had 12 points and a season high-tying seven assists versus the Thunder and he is shooting 56.8 percent from the floor in four games since returning an MCL sprain.

• Bulls SF Justin Holiday is 15-for-52 from the floor over a five-game span.

• Nets PG Spencer Dinwiddie had 18 points Tuesday and is averaging 24.8 over his last five contests.

• Brooklyn won all three meetings last season by an average of 18 points.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Brooklyn Nets