NBA 2021/22 on Monday, 24.01.2022
Injury has struck hard for the Chicago Bulls! Now it’s up to them to get back on the road to victory when they visit the Orlando Magic – and indeed, that should be possible.
DeMar DeRozan will continue to be a part of the red and white team’s game, and he already proved to be a game-changer in the last direct duel almost three weeks ago. In addition, the current injury situation at the underdog is much more worrying.
Sometimes the NBA is like the stock market! For in few sports is the fate of a team so tied to the health of its key players – the perfect example being the Bulls.
Until recently, Chicago was one of the most promising title challengers for the 2021/22 season – also in my eyes – due to the clever trades made at the beginning of the season. But that was “before” the bad luck of injuries struck!
The mainstay of Chicago’s game, Lonzo Ball, will be out for between six and eight weeks. Zach Lavine, another key contributor, is expected back in the coming week, but his absence has also put the brakes on the team’s surge.
Meanwhile, the Bulls have lost five of their last six NBA games. But before one or two fans of the red and white fall off their chairs, it must be mentioned here that the defeats were mostly against top teams and were always close.
The Nets, Warriors, Grizzlies and Bucks are all franchises that have a positive record and must be counted among the best teams in their respective conferences. So yesterday’s 90-94 loss to the defending champions Milwaukee was certainly no disgrace – especially with Ball and LaVine missing.
Now, I would be reluctant to give the Bulls a win with these two absences, but the upcoming opponent gives me a good reason to deviate from this rule. Because there truly is nothing “magical” about the Orlando Magic anymore!
The Magic remain stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with the worst record (8-39) of any NBA team and, in all likelihood, will stay there. Especially now, the Floridians are going through a particularly dark hour!
Their record in their last ten NBA games speaks volumes: a full nine losses, while averaging just 101.3 points and 43 rebounds per game. The scoring rate of 42.7% is also something that could be improved.
So far, so good! But the next point is why I am convinced that Chicago will be much better tonight despite its failures. Because Orlando’s injury misfortune sticks even more strongly to the soles of its players!
Carter-Williams, Fultz, Hampton, Isaac and Moore, Ross and Carter Jr. – these are the many absences that ensure that Orlando is hardly competitive at the moment. Meanwhile, an interesting statistic moves me to also turn my attention to a handicap bet.
The Floridians have lost each of their last four games by more than 9.5 points. Chicago will also benefit from the fact that a certain player will start tonight who already made the difference in the last direct duel.
We are talking about DeMar DeRozan, who scored 29 points in a 102-98 win over the Magic just three weeks ago.
By the way: The three meetings between Bulls and Magic from the calendar year 2021 also went to the red and white with more than 10 points difference each.
Despite the significant absences, it should be clear that the Bulls are still too well-equipped with DeRozan, Dosunmu and the outstanding centre Vucecvic to actually give themselves away against Orlando.
Therefore, Chicago enters the Amway Center at midnight as the clear bookmaker favourite with a win ratio of only 1.62. The Bulls, on the other hand, start the game with 2.62. The Bulls are the clear favourite. The home side, on the other hand, will enter the match as usual with only 2.40 underdog odds.
Conclusion: The Bulls are of course suffering from the absence of two of their best players. However, while LaVine will return in just a few days, many are questioning whether the red and white can handle the month-long absence of Lonzo Ball.
Meanwhile, Chicago lost five of its last six games – but those almost exclusively against top teams. The Magic, meanwhile, are the perfect springboard for the budding playoff contenders from Illinois to regain some confidence.
Orlando has lost nine of its last ten games and has a full roster. In addition, the Floridians have already lost to the Bulls in each of their last four NBA duels – 3 times by more than 10 points.
My NBA tip for this game: DeMar DeRozan’s manpower is enough for a clear victory!
