Close
Help
Settings
Hornets at Bulls NBA Betting Lines: 2025 Expert Prediction, Picks and Analysis - Bulls favored by -4.5

Hornets at Bulls NBA Betting Lines: 2025 Expert Prediction, Picks and Analysis – Bulls favored by -4.5

Written by on January 17, 2025

Featured Sports Betting Odds, NBA News and Rumors

Assuming both play, and they should, we will have brother vs. brother in the NBA on Friday night as LaMelo Bell and the Charlotte Hornets visit Lonzo Ball and the Chicago Bulls, who are short favorites on the NBA odds.

Hornets at Bulls: 2025 NBA Expert Analysis in Week 13.

Spread/Total Subject to Change: Bulls -4.5 (total 235)
Expert Prediction: Bulls 119, Hornets 115
 

How to Bet Hornets at Bulls NBA Betting Lines & TV Info

NBA Moneylines: Chicago -189 / Charlotte +153
When: Friday, 8 PM ET
Where: United Center
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app

^
 

Charlotte Hornets Analysis

The Hornets have won two of three following a 10-game skid as they prevailed 117-112 in Utah on Wednesday night. Charlotte trailed until the fourth before finally taking a 98-97 lead on back-to-back baskets from Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball. Utah went ahead again on back-to-back threes from Brice Sensabaugh and Keyonte George, but the Hornets pulled back in front for good behind a 9-0 run. Brandon Miller capped the spurt with a running layup, giving Charlotte a 111-105 lead with 2:50 left.

Mark Williams

Williams scored a career-high 31 points, shooting 12-of-14 from the field with nine dunks. Williams added 13 rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals. Over his last two games, Williams has notched 55 points on 80.8% from the field. No player in franchise history had ever reached Ngoan at least 50 points on 80% shooting over a two-game span previously.

He could continue to put up huge numbers in heavy minutes because earlier Wednesday, the Hornets traded backup center Nick Richards to Phoenix for Josh Okogie and three second-round picks. The 7-foot Williams was averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 21 minutes per game this season while shooting 56% overall.

Josh Okogie

Known for his perimeter defense and hustle, Okogie will be a valuable asset for the Hornets on a team-friendly contract that pays out $8.3 million this year with a non-guaranteed $7.8 million next year. He’s averaging 6.0 points while shooting 49% from the field and 38% from 3-point range, both career highs. It’s likely that Okogie will make his team debut Friday.

LaMelo Ball

Ball posted 27 points, six rebounds, nine assists and a season-high three blocks in Wednesday’s win. Bridges turned in 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while Miller added 20 points and five rebounds. Charlotte shot 52.9 percent (45-of-85) from the field and tallied 66 points in the paint to rally from a seven-point halftime deficit.

Charles Lee

“The message at halftime was that we gave up 62 points, and we felt like our transition defense wasn’t where it needed to be. Some of it was communication-wise, but some of it was our offense as well,” Coach Lee said. “Trying to go one-versus-the world, causing turnovers, not being physical with our screens and letting them blow up some actions. I thought once we did a better job of tightening up our offense and being more forceful and purposeful with our attack, it limited some of their transition attack.”

Ball is one of seven players this season to average 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists (min. 10 GP), joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, De’Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum. Ball leads the NBA in fourth quarter points per game (9.2), field goals per game (3.3) and 3-pointers per game (1.3). He has made a 3-pointer in 45 straight games, the second-longest streak of his career and eight shy of the team record.

The Ofensive

Charlotte’s net rating improves by 11.7 points with Ball on the court, a mark that ranks in the 93rd percentile leaguewide. The Hornets’ offensive rating surges by 12.8 points (99th percentile), their eFG% improves by 5.7 percent (98th percentile) and their turnover rate falls by 2.8 percent (95th percentile).

^  
JOIN NOW

Hornets at Bulls NBA Betting Lines provided by MyBookie

 

Chicago Bulls Analysis

The Bulls were solid home favorites Wednesday against a very short-handed Hawks team but lost their third in a row, 110-94. Atlanta was up 14 at the half behind its JV roster. The Bulls went on a 12-2 run in the third to pull within 72-67 with about five minutes left in the quarter. The Hawks led by eight going into the fourth and remained in control from there. Chicago finished just 6-for-27 from deep.

Nikola Vucevic

Vucevic, who might be traded soon, recorded a double-double with 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds one night after pulling down 15. Following a 10-game absence with a calf strain, Ayo Dosunmu was back in the lineup and had nine points and three rebounds off the bench. Coby White was in some question but played and had 16 points, while red-hot Zach LaVine cooled down with only 15.

Coby White

“It’s right here to define the season,” said White of the team’s skid. “It’s going to define the true character of this (locker) room. Are we going to let it spiral and dwindle and keep going downhill? Or take a stand and next game come out ready to compete? Right now we’re going through a storm. Not playing to our identity. A lot is the pace. We’re not playing with that same thrust, that same pace which created a lot of downhill attacks, open threes, getting out in transition.”

Lonzo Ball

Point guard Lonzo Ball was off in the second of a back-to-back but should play Friday against his brother LaMelo of Charlotte. Lonzo has been fairly impressive in his first healthy stretch since 2021-22 after three surgeries to address a recurring knee issue. Ball is consistently playing more minutes off the bench after a strict early minutes limit.

Billy Donovan

“I didn’t know what to expect [of Ball] because a lot of the workouts that I watched were one-on-one, and I didn’t see him play five-on-five,” Coach Donovan said of Ball’s gradual return ahead of the season. “I got pretty optimistic when training camp started. I was able to see he was running and doing the things he was doing. He [just] needed to get his timing back.”

The Stats

Chicago currently ranks top-10 in the NBA in several offensive categories, ranking tied for second in 3FGM per game (16.2), second in total 3FGM (663), tied for second in pace (104.3), fourth in assists per game (29.3), tied for fourth in points per game (117.5) and tied for seventh in 3FG% (.374). The Bulls are first in the NBA in defensive rebounds per game (36.2), third in total rebounds (1,876) and fifth in rebounds per game (45.8). Chicago has 15 games this season with 50-plus rebounds, which ranks third in the NBA in such games recorded.

White, meanwhile, is averaging 20.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 4.9 apg over his last 10 games versus the Hornets and has made at least three 3FGM in seven of those 10. Vucevic has tallied a double-double in three-straight games against Charlotte, averaging 19.7 ppg and 11.7 rpg during that stretch.

^
 

Hornets vs Bulls Season Series

Chicago leads 2-0 and has won nine of the past 10 in the series – including eight straight. They last met on Dec. 30 in Charlotte and the Bulls prevailed 115-108 in OT. Coby White narrowly missed his first career triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the win for Chicago. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Miles Bridges had 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Hornets. Both teams were without key players, including LaMelo Ball for Charlotte and Zach LaVine for Chicago. The Bulls lead all-time 49-25.

^
   
Hornets at Bulls NBA Betting Lines: Place your Bets anywhere, anytime by downloading the MyBookie APP
 
 
 

Previous Betting News | MyBookie News Archive

2021 Bulls vs Hornets Preview
 

The Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls are both battling for a lower-level playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and it’s possible they meet in the play-in tournament. The Bulls host the Hornets on Thursday with Chicago favored on the NBA odds.

How to Bet Hornets at Bulls NBA Odds & TV Info
  • When: Thursday, 9 PM ET
  • Where: United Center
  • TV: NBA League Pass
  • Stream:com, NBA TV app
  • Radio:com
Last Meeting

The teams have played just once this season and Chicago won in Charlotte on Jan. 22, 123-110. Zach LaVine had 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds – but he’s currently out injured. Lauri Markkanen chipped in with 23 points and Coby White added 18 points and eight assists. Gordon Hayward scored 34 points for the Hornets and Devonte Graham had 24 points. The Hornets committed 20 turnovers, leading to 26 Bulls points. However, the Bulls have lost their past two at home in this series.

Why Bet on Charlotte? | 2021 NBA Expert Analysis 

Charlotte lost for the fifth time in six games on Tuesday as it remained without leading scorer Gordon Hayward, one-time Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball and key reserve Malik Monk. The Hornets led at the Knicks by six at halftime Tuesday but fell 109-97. New York held Charlotte to just 31 points after halftime.

After shooting 26 for 46 from the field and 13 for 19 behind the 3-point line in the first half, the Hornets struggled in the second half, making 13 of 40 shots from the field and connecting on just 3 of their 20 3-point attempts. Charlotte took only eight free throws attempts the entire game, making three.

Devonte’ Graham was back in the lineup after missing two games due to injury and looked rusty with nine points on 3-for-10 shooting but did add seven assists. Terry Rozier added 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. The 27-year-old has been on fire since returning from a one-game absence due to left knee tendinitis, averaging 26.0 points, 9.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds, 4.2 three-pointers and 1.7 steals over his last four games. Rozier is averaging career highs in points, steals, three-pointers and field-goal percentage.

Miles Bridges had 15 points and 14 rebounds and is rolling — he entered Tuesday averaging 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks and 3.1 3-pointers per game while shooting 54.3% from the field and 82.8% from the foul line in April. With Hayward out, Bridges is getting more run.

PJ Washington led Charlotte with 26 points in the loss. The 22-year-old has been on a roll since returning from a three-game absence due to a sprained right ankle, averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 three-pointers, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals over his last two games.

While the rookie Ball will not play here, he’s getting closer to a return – perhaps next week. Ball has been out for 16 games since an awkward fall that fractured his wrist against the Clippers on March 20. He is averaging 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game this season.

Why Bet on Chicago? | 2021 NBA Expert Analysis 

The Bulls have actually been playing better since All-Star and leading scorer Zach LaVine went out in COVID protocols – and he won’t be back this week. Chicago has been emphasizing defense.

“We put a big emphasis on the defensive end because the games we were losing we were just giving up too many points, 115, 120,” All-Star center Nik Vucevic said. “It’s going to be hard to see somebody score that way and try to win games night in and night out.”

“Defense can win games,” said Garrett Temple, who recently missed a month injured. “The old saying still holds true. Obviously, we lost a big piece in Zach, 28 points a game. But if we’re able to guard like we’re capable of we have enough on the other end to score.”

Offensively, Coby White has stepped up his game in LaVine’s absence, to the point that White probably will return to the starting lineup for good when LaVine is back. White has committed one turnover in two of the Bulls’ last three games and is averaging 31.9 minutes, 18 points and 7.7 assists (two turnovers) since LaVine went out.

LaVine might be able to fly out and meet the team on the road, but considering the testing he has to go through, the cardiac screening he has to pass and getting his legs back under him, he realistically might miss at least eight total games.

Offensively, Chicago has scored 115+ points 28 times this season, tying them for 8th in the league. It’s also the most the team has recorded since the 1970-71 season. Last year the Bulls scored 115+ points 16 times (in 65 games). The Bulls have dished 30+-assists 15 times this season, tying them for 5th in the league. Last year Chicago had only two.

Reserve swingman Troy Brown missed Wednesday’s game vs. Cleveland and probably won’t play here, either. That should mean more minutes for Denzel Valentine.

Expert NBA Prediction

Hornets 113, Bulls 111

 
 

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?

Bet NBA Today
MyBookie Odds for the Games
 
 
 
 

NBA Betting Center

NBA Odds and Lines

NBA Betting
Make the Playoffs
Championship Odds
Conferences Odds
Divisions Odds
 

NBA Must-Know

All About The 2024/25 Season

Latest NBA Betting Predictions:

Updated NBA Odds | Sportsbook Lines


Help Center