Bulls vs. Bucks Betting Line January 12
Carrie Stroup here with your Bulls vs. Bucks betting line for Tuesday night Chicago -3.5, Total: 204
CHICAGO BULLS (22-14) at MILWAUKEE BUCKS (15-24)
The Bulls will be looking to get back on track with a victory over the Bucks in Milwaukee Tuesday.
Chicago hosted Washington on Monday night and lost 114-100 as a nine-point favorite. The Bulls have now lost two straight games after a six-game winning streak. They seemingly had momentum and will now need to pick up a much-needed victory in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
This Bucks team has been lousy in the past few weeks, losing three of its past four and 12 of its past 17 as well. Milwaukee has allowed five of its past 10 opponents to shoot 50% or better from the field and must be better defensively moving forward.
These two teams met in Chicago on Jan. 5 and the Bulls won that game 117-106 as 8.5-point home favorites. Chicago is now 11-4 SU and 10-5 ATS over Milwaukee over the past three seasons and that includes a 5-2 SU (4-3 ATS) record at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Five of the seven games played in Milwaukee have gone Under the total.
One thing working in Chicago’s favor in this game is the fact that the team has gone 19-9 ATS in road games after playing as a home favorite over the past two seasons. That won’t intimidate Milwaukee, though, as the Bucks are 15-4 ATS after playing a game as a road underdog this season.
SF Mike Dunleavy (Back) is expected to miss another month for the Bulls and the Bucks could be without PG Jerryd Bayless (Ankle) and SG O.J. Mayo (Hamstring), who are both listed as questionable.
The Bulls have lost two straight games and will be looking to turn things around against a Bucks team that is extremely beatable. SG Jimmy Butler (22.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG) is going to have to come through for his team on the road in this game. Butler lit Milwaukee up the last time these teams met, finishing with 32 points and 10 assists in 39 minutes of action. He was an efficient 11-for-21 from the field and was making all of the right reads in that game. If he can do more of the same on Tuesday then his team should be able to come away with a road win.
C Pau Gasol (16.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.2 BPG) is also going to need to play well for Chicago. Gasol has struggled over the past two games, averaging just 12.5 PPG and 8.5 RPG. It is no coincidence that the Bulls lost those contests, and the team will need to do a better job of getting him the ball in the right spots. Like Butler, Gasol dominated the last time he faced the Bucks. He had 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in that one and should be able to find some success on Tuesday.
One positive for Chicago in the loss to Washington was that PG Derrick Rose (14.9 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.3 RPG) got it going offensively. Rose finished with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting and is now averaging 18.5 PPG since returning from a hamstring injury. If he can play a solid all-around game on Tuesday then it would really help his team.
The Bucks are coming off of a 100-88 loss against the Knicks in New York and PG Michael Carter-Williams (12.1 PPG, 5.8 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG) really struggled in that contest. Carter-Williams went just 1-for-8 from the field and finished with four points and six assists in 22 minutes. He had been playing very well in the weeks before and must play well against Chicago in this one. That shouldn’t be a problem for him, as he put up 20 points and dished out 12 assists in the first meeting between these teams this season. Carter-Williams will need to be locked in on defense as well, as Derrick Rose has looked a lot better as of late.
C Greg Monroe (15.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG) will also need to play a complete game for this Bucks team. Monroe was a monster against New York on Sunday, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds and a block in 33 minutes of action. He’ll need to be a force in the paint on offense against Chicago, but he also needs to play some tough defense as well. The Bulls have one of the best frontcourts in basketball and Monroe can’t allow the team to score at will around the rim.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
