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Update: Doncic is available, but he’s going to only play one quarter as the Mavericks try to keep their first-round pick. It’s a top-10 protected selection, so Dallas doesn’t want to make the play-in tournament to give itself a chance at keeping the pick. The line is still Mavericks -6, and we’re still going to stay with the Bulls at +6 as the ATS pick. The total is 218.5 and we’ll keep our pick on the under there.
Update: DeRozan, LaVine and Patrick Beverley are all resting for Chicago tonight. Caruso’s status is still up in the air. The Mavericks are now 8-point favorites and we’re still rolling with the Bulls as the ATS pick. The total is 220.5 and we’ll still take the under on that number.
Update: Well, hope you took the Bulls at +11 while you could. It seems like the Mavericks are giving up on the season and this game. Irving, Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber have all been ruled out and the line is now Mavericks -7. We’re going to maintain our ATS pick with the Bulls. The total now comes in at 222.5, and we’re going to maintain our pick on the under.
The Chicago Bulls (38-42) face the Dallas Mavericks (38-42) Friday evening in a matchup of two teams who have fallen short of expectations. The Bulls are locked into the No. 10 spot in the play-in tournament, while the Mavericks need to win out and get some help to avoid being eliminated from postseason contention.
The Bulls have listed Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso as questionable for rest purposes. Chicago has nothing to play for, so everyone could be sat. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are probable for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks are 11-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The total comes in at 225.5. Dallas is -560 on the moneyline, while Chicago is +430.
Bulls vs. Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Bulls +11
The Mavericks are 2-5 ATS in the last seven games, and covering a double-digit spread is not easy. Dallas is also 10-21-2 ATS as a home favorite, so this really isn’t a good spot to back the Mavericks even if they should win this game. The Bulls probably rest some guys, but Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu provide enough competence offensively to give Chicago enough juice to cover this line.
Over/Under: Under 225.5
If LaVine and DeRozan are ruled out, this line should drop a bit more. Even though the Mavericks have experienced a recent scoring boost, the Bulls are still lagging behind the rest of the league offensively. Chicago ranks 24th in points per game over the last five. Even though the Mavericks are a strong scoring team of late, they have hit the under in five of their last seven games. Take the under here.