Monday, February 6, 2023
The NBA Trade Deadline is approaching quickly, and while the Kyrie Irving news is the main headline to this point of deadline season, the Chicago Bulls have remained dormant. The Bulls have been a talking point for analysts across the media landscape, almost entirely comprising of individuals calling for Chicago to blow things up.
To this point, sources close to the Bulls organization have remained adamant that the Bulls will not be active sellers at Thursday's deadline, instead potentially the opposite. To what degree that potential lies remains to be seen, but with their 2023 draft pick lying in the hands of Orlando barring a top-4 lottery spot, I would agree that tanking is not as easy as it sounds.
As of today, the Chicago Bulls currently hold the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference, three games behind Miami for the coveted top six zone, and on the flip side they stand 1.5 games ahead of Indiana and the 11th seed.
As for the Bulls best bet of the day blogs, if you've been following along on the previous site, you know that the best bets have been a roller coaster ride, unfortunately showing us in the red at the time of writing. Some rough beats and head scratching games are no excuse, and now in the hands of ECSI, it's time to get this thing on the right track! Let's get into today's play!
2022-23 Chicago Bulls Best Bet Record: 11-15
San Antonio Spurs Under 113.5 Team Total
Despite the Bulls lack of ability to put together a serious string of wins, one thing has actually changed for the better. The Chicago Bulls play defense now?? Yes, over the last few weeks the Bulls have actually played as one of the most efficient defenses in the entire NBA. Subsequently their offense has trended in the wrong direction, but that isn't what we're looking at for this play is it?
According to StatMuse, the Bulls have the fourth most efficient defense in the league over their last 10 games, behind only Minnesota, Phoenix, and Boston. The sense of urgency on that side of the floor has increased, and in accordance with a bit of a revenge situation and after taking a small beating from Damian Lillard on the scoresheet, I think Chicago turns up the pressure again tonight.
This is the second and final meeting between these teams this season, the first seeing a 129-124 Spurs win in San Antonio in late October. This time in Chicago, I'm taking a stance that the Bulls will flip the script against a struggling Spurs team that ranks 22nd in offensive efficiency over the last 10 games.
Give me a third straight victory for the Bulls tonight and the Spurs to stay under that 113.5 mark!
