Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards: Game 2

After blowing a 13-point lead in the home opener of the first round, the Chicago Bulls will look to tie the series at one game apiece Tuesday night when they host the Washington Wizards. The defense and discipline the Bulls have been applauded for all season all but disappeared in game one as Nene and John Wall led Washington to a 102-93 win. Scoring droughts were once again the culprit for the Bulls when they were outscored 30-18 in the fourth quarter. Will Washington’s offense once again dictate the tempo in game two?



AccuScore has the Chicago Bulls as solid 61.4 percent favorites to win game two of this best-of-seven series against the Washington Wizards. The average rounded score after 10,000 simulations is 90-87, with the Wizards having a 55.4 percent chance of covering the +5.5 spread. There is a 59 percent chance the total combined score stays under 181.5.

The projection data and trends below indicate taking the points and Washington, and picking the UNDER.

Washington Wizards Betting Trends

• The Wizards are 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games.
• The Wizards are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
• The Wizards are 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road.
• The Wizards are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road.
• The Wizards are 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing the Bulls.
• The Wizards are 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing the Bulls.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Wizards’ last 5 games when playing the Bulls.
• The total has gone UNDER in 13 of the Wizards’ last 17 games when playing the Bulls.
• The Wizards are 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against the Bulls.
• The Wizards are 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against the Bulls.

Chicago Bulls Betting Trends

• The Bulls are 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
• The Bulls are 8-3 SU in its last 11 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Bulls’ last 5 games.
• The Bulls are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Bulls’ last 5 games at home.
• The Bulls are 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing the Wizards.
• The Bulls are 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing the Wizards.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Bulls’ last 5 games when playing the Wizards.
• The total has gone UNDER in 13 of the Bulls’ last 17 games when playing the Wizards.
• The Bulls are 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against the Wizards.
• The Bulls are 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against the Wizards.

Projected Leaders

Bradley Beal: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
John Wall: 15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds
Nene: 12 points, 6 rebounds
Joakim Noah: 13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
Carlos Boozer: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists

What to Watch For

Even though Nene destroyed the Bulls in game one, it just isn’t coach Tom Thibodeau’s style to adjust his strategy based on one game. Adjusting to contain Nene will only create an opportunity for someone else to have a big game. Defensively, however, the one change we can expect is for Noah to be further out of the paint defensively. Noah does a remarkable job staying in the paint long enough to be in help position. In game one, however, Noah’s time in the paint gave Nene – Washington’s best mid-range shooter – open looks at the basket.

Offensively, the Bulls will have to adjust to the Wizards crowding Noah at the high-post. The Bulls like getting the ball to Noah at the free-throw line extended, allowing him to read the floor and make the bounce pass to the cutter. The Wizards defended the league’s best passing big man well by forcing him to drive rather than giving him the room to pass.

Carlos Boozer sat out the entire fourth quarter of game one due to his defense, or lack thereof. While Gibson’s presence improves Chicago’s defensive rating, the offense completely fell off as the Wizards’ size was able to push Gibson out of the post. Keep an eye on Chicago going back to Boozer in the final quarter out of necessity – they just can’t score enough otherwise.

During the regular season, Chicago was No. 10 in the league in assists per game (22.6). In game one the Bulls had just 13 assists. They are projected to get 23 assists in game 2.