Two top eight defenses meet
The LA Clippers are currently the league’s most in-form team and have a legitimate MVP contender in Paul George. With seven wins in a row, the Clippers have been able to forget their poor start to the season and compensate well for the absence of their real superstar Kawhi Leonard, who is out with a torn cruciate ligament.
On the other hand, the Chicago Bulls are one of the most surprising teams. With a big upheaval in the summer and many new additions, the Bulls finally made the step towards becoming a top team. After years, the fans can finally see successful basketball again. How far Lavine, DeRozan and Co. will ultimately make it remains to be seen. Nevertheless, this start to the season makes you want more.
East vs West, Los Angeles vs Chicago has always had something special. Even if it’s not the big Lakers in this case, there’s still a lot of explosiveness and meaning in this duel. The Bulls are looking to get back on the winning track after a tough loss to the Warriors.
The Clippers, on the other hand, are brimming with confidence and want to pick up where they left off against Minnesota. According to the bookmakers, there is a lot to be said for a forecast of many points in the match between the LA Clippers and the Chicago Bulls. In addition, the Clippers are considered the slight favourite.
LA Clippers – Statistics & current form
After the bad news in the last playoffs, when franchise player Kawhi Leonard tore his cruciate ligament and will probably be out for the whole season, the Clippers did not go into the new season with too high expectations. Thanks to Paul George, tempers and expectations were turned around a little bit.
Paul George shoulders the Clippers
Averaging just under 27 points, five assists and nearly eight rebounds, the 31-year-old is the main reason the Clippers are doing so well. With these numbers, he also keeps popping up in MVP discussions.
The Clippers are currently in a strong third place in the league in terms of defensive rating. Only 102.2 points of the opponent are allowed on average per game. Coach Tyronn Lue has managed to build a stable offence (13th in the league with an average of 108 points) from this outstanding defence. Five players are averaging double-digit points per game so far. Best scorer after Paul George is Reggie Jackson with over 18 points per game.
Turning the corner after stumble start
After five games, the Clippers had only managed one win. After eleven games and a winning streak of seven games, they have increased their record to 8:4. Especially in front of the home crowd, the Lue protégés can always put in a good performance and win. They have five wins and two losses at the Staples Center.
After the statement success against the strong team from Miami, the Clippers were able to successfully complete the compulsory task against the Timberwolves from Minnesota. The Clippers now face the next tough game against the strong Bulls. Should this game also be won, the Clippers can be considered a legitimate contender for one of the top four spots in the West.
Projected LA Clippers line-up:
Jackson, Bledsoe, George, Mann, Zubac
Chicago Bulls – Statistics & current form
After the Jordan era, there was such a euphoria as currently only once, when Derrick Rose appeared and was voted the youngest MVP in history. Unfortunately, he was never able to reach his full potential due to some injuries.
Before the season, the Chicago Bulls team got a new look. Three of the players with the most minutes on the field are new to the Bulls roster. DeMar DeRozan is emerging as the most important addition so far, averaging 26 points. He and franchise player number one Zach Lavine form a “lethal” duo. Lonzo Ball has also exceeded all expectations so far. In the backcourt, he usually initiates the attacks and is always dangerous for the opposing defenses with his strong passes.
Euphoria in Chicago
Literally the biggest steal can be seen in Alex Caruso, who was offered by the LA Lakers, who, although he would have liked to stay, did not want to make him a comparable offer. With more than 2.5 steals per game, he leads the team by far in this statistic and proves to be the defensive specialist that Chicago desperately needed.
In LA Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls, the odds are slightly in favour of the Clippers. Nevertheless, the Bulls are by no means without a chance. In view of the strong offensive lines, the bookmakers predict a game with many points on both sides.
In the duel with the Clippers, they want to continue to make every attack of the opponent difficult with the help of a good defence. In terms of defensive rating, they are in a good seventh place in the league. The Bulls allow an average of 104.5 points.
Predicted line-up of Chicago Bulls:
Ball, Lavine, DeRozan, Caruso, Vucevic
LA Clippers – Chicago Bulls Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Statistics from the head-to-head comparison between the two teams go hand-in-hand with the bookies’ predictions. The Clippers go into the game against the Bulls, the odds say, as favourites because of the head-to-head meetings. In a total of 30 games, the LA Clippers have won 21. Accordingly, nine were for the Bulls.
LA Clippers – Chicago Bulls Tip
After the convincing start of the season, which caused a lot of euphoria in Chicago despite a relatively easy schedule, the decisive weeks are coming. With the Clippers, the Lakers, Portland, Denver and the Knicks, tough tasks await Billy Donovan’s men. The first task of this demanding game calendar phase was lost against the Warriors and the outstanding Stephen Curry.
The Clippers want to confirm their strong form in the upcoming game against the Bulls and prove to the people that they have come even closer together as a team after the injury of their superstar in order to compensate for this bitter loss. So far, you can only tip your hat to the performances of the Clippers and especially Paul George, who is doing pretty much everything on the court and leading the Clippers in points, assists, rebounds and steals.
In the duel of the LA Clippers against the Chicago Bulls, our tip at good betting odds is based on the assumption that two teams with an enormous amount of offensive potential will meet. Nevertheless, so far both teams live on their defence. We therefore assume a game with less than 217.5 points in total and bet five units on it.
