Chicago Bulls NBA Play-In Tournament Betting
Few postseason teams are as hopelessly outclassed as the Chicago Bulls. If not for the play-in round, the Bulls would be on the golf links right now. Instead, they have a chance to get into the Top 8 and a full playoff round. The Bulls have no serious shot at a deep playoff run. Chicago lacks the offense of a legitimate contender and their defense ranks in the middle of the pack. Head coach Billy Donovan arrived with great fanfare in 2020-21 after an impressive run with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Donovan has had a minim impact with just one winning season (2021-22).
2024 NBA Championship Betting Odds
Chicago Bulls NBA Betting Lines
Atlanta Hawks +3
Chicago Bulls -3
Total: 220.5
Money Line: Atlanta +133, Chicago -154
The Chicago Bulls are 36-46 straight up, 29-53 against the spread, and 46-36 over/under the total. Late on, Chicago has covered one out of their last seven games. While the Bulls have gone over the total in four of its previous five matchups. Chicago is 9th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Chicago is 25 games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Chicago has NBA metrics of 22nd for scoring offense, 18th for field goal percentage, 20th for 3-point field goal percentage, 10th for free throw percentage, and 14th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Bulls have NBA metrics of 16th for scoring defense, 16th for field goal percentage permitted, 20th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 16th for defensive rebounding.
Chicago qualified for the play-in round. The Bulls will host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Tipoff time is 9:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN.
Chicago Bulls Key Players
SF DeMar DeRozan leads Chicago with 23.9 points and 5.3 assists per game. DeRozan is a 6-time NBA All-Star. Since joining the Bulls in 2021-22, DeRozan has averaged at least 24 points per game. His career began with the Toronto Raptors in 2009-10. DeRozan has a career average of 21.2 points per game. Last year in the playoffs, he averaged 20.8 points per game.
Chicago Bulls Head Coach
Head coach Billy Donovan is best known for winning national championships in 2006 and 2007 with the Florida Gators. Also, he produced strong seasons as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he led them to the Western Conference Final in 2016. Donovan has been with the Bulls since 2020-21. For his career, Donovan is 243-157 in the regular season and 19-27 in the playoffs.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 6)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2023-24 |
82 |
39 |
43 |
4th, Central |
TBD |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
40 |
42 |
3rd, Central |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
46 |
36 |
2nd, Central |
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Bucks) |
| 2020–21 |
72 |
31 |
41 |
3rd, Central |
Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 |
65 |
22 |
43 |
3rd, Central |
Did not qualify |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
22 |
60 |
4th, Central |
Did not qualify |
Chicago Bulls History
Founded as an NBA expansion team in 1966-67, the Chicago Bulls played second fiddle to the other teams in the Second City until the early 1970s, when they became a regular winner under head coach Dick Motta. Stars such as Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, Bob Weiss, and Tom Boerwinkle won over Windy City fans with grit and skill.
Following the Motta era, the franchise experienced a decline until the greatest player in the league's history arrived in 1984. Michael Jordan quickly made the Bulls relevant once again. The Bulls proceeded to make the playoffs for 14 straight seasons, and they became one of the greatest teams of the modern era shortly after Phil Jackson brought his innovative Triangle offense to the team. Scottie Pippen flanked Jordan for the entire run and a rotating cast of role players for the first three titles and then the second three titles.
After the sixth NBA title in eight years, Jerry Krause blew up the roster. Phil Jackson was pushed out, and Michael Jordan retired, leading to the worst period in franchise history. Chicago hired Tim Floyd to replace Jackson, and Floyd became one of the worst coaches in the history of the NBA. In over three years, the Bulls went 49-190 under Floyd, and Chicago turned things around under Scott Skiles shortly after Floyd was fired. Skiles led the Bulls to three straight playoff appearances and helped set the table for Tom Thibodeau. We saw Thibs take the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season, and the Bulls made the playoffs for five straight seasons before his defense-first style burned out the team.
NBA Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Central
Eastern Conference - Southeast
Western Conference - Northwest
Western Conference - Pacific
Western Conference - Southwest
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