Bulls vs Hornets Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Friday, March 31st

Check out our free Bulls vs Hornets pick and preview for this NBA game in Charlotte. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Bulls vs Hornets NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets
Where: Charlotte at Spectrum Center
Date: Friday, March 31st
Betting Odds CHA +7.5, CHI -306 | CHA +242 O/U 224.0

The Bulls come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 36-40. So far, the team has gone 38-38-0 against the spread. Against the Hornets, the Bulls are looking to break out of a 2 game losing streak. They have lost these games by an average of -11.5 points.

Chicago is trying to bounce back from a 121-110 loss to the Lakers. Going into this game, the team was 4 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Chicago was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Lakers by 11 going into halftime. In the loss, Nikola Vucevic led the team in scoring with 29 points on a field goal percentage of 75.0%.

So far, the Hornets have put together an overall record of 26-51, while going 34-38-5 vs the spread. In today’s game, Charlotte will look to extend their 3 game winning streak. Over this stretch, they have an average scoring margin of 5.67 points.

The Hornets are coming off a 137-134 win over the Thunder. This win came despite entering the game as the 10 point underdogs. Charlotte put together a strong second half performance, as after 2 quarters, they trailed the Thunder by -11 points. Leading the team in scoring was P.J. Washington, as he contributed 43 points while hitting 66.7% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Bulls picked up the 106-88 win over the Hornets. The Bulls point margin of victory was enough to cover the spread as 6.5 point favorite. So far this season, the Bulls have a record of 2-1 vs the Hornets. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Bulls averaged 123.67 points per game vs Charlotte, which was an increase over their season-long average. While the Bulls saw a boost in scoring, the Hornets averaged 120.33 points per contest in head-to-head meeting vs Chicago. This figure was similar to season-long average. Over the last 5 head to head meetings, the Bulls have averaged 110 points per game compared to 107 for Charlotte. This has led to an ATS record of 3-2 for Chicago. A combined average of 217 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 1-4.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Through 76 games, Chicago is averaging 113.3 points per game (20th). Coming into today’s game, the Bulls will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.5 made 3’s per game. Not only is the Chicago offense struggling with their outside shot, but they are also getting to the charity stripe at a below average rate. So far, they are the 21st ranked team in made free-throws per contest.

Currently, the Bulls defense is ranked 17th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 112.0 points per game vs the unit.

This season, the Bulls offense has primarily worked through Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 72 games, LaVine is 21st in the NBA at 25.0 points per game. So far, him and DeRozan have accounted for 41% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 49.9 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, DeMar DeRozan is grabbing 4.7 rebounds for Chicago to go along with 5.1 assists.

Through 77 games, the Hornets are averaging 111.5 points per contest, placing them 27th in the NBA. Coming into today’s game, the Hornets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.7 made 3’s per game. Not only is the Charlotte offense struggling with their outside shot, but they are also getting to the charity stripe at a below average rate. So far, they are the 22nd ranked team in made free-throws per contest.

Defensively, Charlotte has had its problems giving up an average of 114.89 points per game (25th).

Without Terry Rozier, Charlotte will need P.J. Washington to step up and put together a strong scoring performance against the Chicago today. This season, Rozier leads the team in scoring with 21.1 points per game. Washington is the team’s 2nd leading scorer with 15.8 points per game, which places him 84.0th in the NBA. In his 72 games, he has hit 44.3% of his field goal attempts and is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game.