Tonight there are only three NBA games on the schedule and one of the more interesting is the one in which Chicago Bulls will host Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, 01:00 AM BST. In this article, I'll provide a few of my top Chicago Bulls vs Minnesota Timberwolves predictions.
Furthermore, I also have a complete Bulls vs Timberwolves preview, including team form, injuries and other news, plus the latest Bulls vs Timberwolves odds. So, let's take a closer look at this game and what we can expect from it.
Bulls vs Timberwolves predictions
Handicap
Chicago Bulls to win (+8.5)
9/10
Total points
Over 227
9/10
4+ made threes
Anthony Edwards
10/11
All odds for my Bulls vs Timberwolves picks were taken from Paddy Power and are subject to change at any time.
Chicago Bulls to win with handicap (+8.5)
While the Bulls have lost three in a row and the Wolves are clearly the better team, I expect this game to be closer than the bookies see it. First of all, the Bulls have played a few very good games this season and they have won just one game fewer than Minnesota.
More importantly, the Bulls have beaten the Timberwolves in their last four meetings in a row in the regular season, despite Minnesota being the better team, including last season. With that in mind and considering that the Bulls are hosting the game, I can see them coming under the spread, which is my first Bulls vs Timberwolves prediction.
Over 227 total points
Only one of the last eight H2H duels between Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves has gone under 227 total points and that is enough of a reason for me to expect another high-scoring game tonight.
Meanwhile, these two teams have been on a similar levels offensively this season, with the Bulls averaging 113.00 and the Wolves averaging 111.70 points per game. So, they'll have to go a bit above those averages this evening, but I can see that happening, which is why over 227 total points is another of my Bulls vs Timberwolves picks.
Anthony Edwards to make 4+ threes
The last of my Bulls vs Timberwolves tips is for Anthony Edwards to make at least four three-pointers. Ant has been a great 3-point shooter last season too, but he's been taking a lot more threes since the start of this season, only failing to shoot double-digit threes in the last two games.
In the first five games of the season, Edwards has made at least 4 threes each time and overall he's averaging 5.1 made threes per game on .450% 3-point shooting. With that in mind and with the Bulls not really having a great defense, Edwards should be able to make four or more threes tonight.
Bulls vs Timberwolves preview – teams news, injuries, and predicted lineups
Chicago Bulls have started the season well, winning three of their first five games, but then we saw them go on a three-game losing streak, including a loss to Utah Jazz, one of the worst teams in the league at the moment.
One of the reasons for this poor run lies in the fact that the Bulls were without Zack LaVine in the last two games, who is still on the team's injury list and designated as a game-time decision for the duel with the Timberwolves.
The Bulls enter this match with a 3-5 record.
Bulls starting lineup: Giddey, White, Dosunu, Williams, Vucevic
As the team that made Western Conference Finals last season, the expectations are high for Minnesota, who have started the new season in inconsistent form. This makes sense because the Wolves are still adjusting to having Randle and DiVincenco instead of Karl Anthony-Towns, so we should see better Minnesota as the season goes on.
The Wolves currently have a clean bill of health.
The Timberwolves enter this match with a 4-3 record.
Timberwolves starting lineup: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Randle, Gobert