NBA

Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction 10-26-24 NBA Picks

Published

1d ago

Oct 26, 2024 / 2750 Views

Evan Walker

Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0) vs. Chicago Bulls (0-1)
October 26, 2024 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Chicago Bulls +9.5; Over/Under: +229.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Oklahoma City Thunder invade the United Center to do battle with the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Here’s a Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction. This article will include a Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder Pick.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be aiming for a second straight victory after making light work of the Nuggets in an impressive 102-87 road win on Thursday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists on 11 of 24 shooting, Chet Holmgren added 25 points with 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks while Aaron Wiggins chipped in with 15 points off the bench. As a team, the Thunder shot just 42 percent from the field and eight of 36 from the 3-point line, but they were fantastic on the defensive end to limit the Nuggets to just 35 percent shooting from the field and seven of 38 from the 3-point line.

Chicago Bulls

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls will be feeling much better after bouncing back from their season opening loss with a 133-122 win over the Bucks last night. Coby White led the team with 35 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals, Zach LaVine added 25 points on nine of 15 shooting while Nikola Vucevic chipped in with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Bulls shot 48 percent from the field and seven of 12 from the 3-point line as they kept pace with the Bucks in a tightly contested first half, before they caught fire and exploded for 70 points in the second half to blow away the Bucks and earn the upset win. Josh Giddey had a quality outing for his new team as he tallied 17 points with six rebounds and nine assists in just 24 minutes of action.

Why the Oklahoma City Thunder will win

The Thunder have won each of their last eight games when playing with a rest advantage.
The Bulls have lost each of their last three games against Thunder teams that held a winning record.
The Thunder have covered the spread in each of their last five games against the Bulls.
The Bulls have failed to cover the spread in six of their last eight games on the second leg of a back-to-back against Western Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

Each of the Thunder’s last seven road games following a road win have gone UNDER the total points line.
Each of the Bulls’ last four home games against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total points line.

Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction

The Thunder are still a little shorthanded with Kenrich Williams, Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein all out, while the Bulls are still missing Lonzo Ball due to left knee surgery management. The Thunder open as major road favorites in this one, and that’s no surprise given how good they looked against the Nuggets on Thursday. However, even though the Bulls are playing this one on zero days’ rest, I still think the line is just a bit too hefty. Give me the Bulls to hang around and keep this to single digits in the end.