On the eve of the all-star break, many teams are just trying to skate through to make it through their final games.
Two Eastern Conference rivals will face off against each other on Thursday night when the Milwaukee Bucks go on the road to take on the Chicago Bulls.
Chicago has been without guard Lonzo Ball all season long, while Demar DeRozan has a thigh strain that has made his status day-to-day at best in the past couple of weeks.
Without DeRozan in the lineup, the Bulls’ offense is hard-pressed to find consistent scoring from any of their other players.
The Bucks are coming off one of the strangest games this year where they took on the Boston Celtics, who were missing four starters including Tatum and Brown, and barely managed to beat them in overtime.
Still, even with that result, the Bucks are one of the perennial favorites of the Eastern Conference and in all of the NBA. They draw the road favorite in this game over the Bulls at -7.
Keeping the core of the team healthy for the rest of the year
As far as this season has gone, the Bucks have yet to get a lot of runs with all three of their big three healthy at the same time.
With the way Brook Lopez has elevated his game, and the addition of veteran Joe Ingles in the trade market, this team has hardly seen the floor at maximum strength.
It still does not explain why they needed a heroic performance from Jrue Holiday to keep the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night when they were missing four starters.
Either way, a win is a win. It does not matter if it is ugly to get there, but the Bucks are ready to make their mark on this season.
Surviving on the cusp on the postseason
As it stands before this matchup, the Bulls are on the fringes of the Eastern Conference. They might get barely lucky enough to make the play-in tournament, but even if they did it is doubtful they would have much success.
Their roster is incomplete, and different players have gone significant stretches this season dealing with an injury bug.
Finding the right groove for them has been nearly impossible, but somehow they still manage to be competitive.
It is likely that DeRozan sits this game out, so expect their offense to suffer as a result of his absence.
Bucks @ Bulls Betting Prediction
These two teams could not be at more opposite ends of the standings at the moment. Everyone seems to be getting healthy at the right time in Milwaukee, while Chicago can barely keep their starters on the floor.
The Bucks do draw a significant favorite in this game, considering they are on the road, but their roster is built to win in just about any situation.
It is the safest bet to roll with the Bucks on the road in this matchup with the Bulls. Finish with them at -7 and enjoy the all-star break heading our direction.
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