Prediction

In the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls have struggled without Lonzo Ball, who has been sidelined for an extended period, limiting their ability to make significant trades. Last season, the Bulls were eliminated in the play-in tournament, performing poorly overall. This season, the Bulls made some trades, with Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan leaving the team, and players like Cedi Osman joining. Lonzo Ball remains injured. In their last game, the Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons by 10 points, with Nikola Vucevic scoring a team-high 29 points efficiently, and both Zach LaVine and Coby White contributing 25 points each.

The Milwaukee Bucks, after the “Black Eight” upset two seasons ago, made major changes by trading Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen to acquire Damian Lillard. However, the team’s defensive strength significantly declined last season, and despite making the playoffs, they were decisively defeated by the rising New York Knicks due to missing key players. This season, the Bucks have struggled due to salary cap constraints and have been unable to make further improvements. With Khris Middleton sidelined for an extended period, the team has shown poor performance and has fallen to the lower ranks of the Eastern Conference. In their most recent game, the Bucks narrowly defeated the Houston Rockets by 1 point, with Brook Lopez scoring a team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, Giannis Antetokounmpo adding 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Damian Lillard returning from injury to hit a game-winning shot.

Overall, the performance of both teams this season has been fairly even. The Bucks have the advantage of home court, and with their stronger roster, they are expected to defeat the Bulls.

Pick: Bucks -8.0