Bulls vs Wizards Odds, Picks & Predictions (Oct. 21)

• Chicago is laying 1.5 points on the road in the Bulls vs Wizards odds on Friday (Oct. 21) at 7:00 pm ET
• Zach LaVine (knee) will miss his second straight game for the Bulls
• Keep reading for the complete Bulls vs Wizards odds and predictions

Two teams fresh off impressive wins in their respective 2022-23 season debuts clash on Friday in Washington. The Wizards (1-0, 0-0 home) host the Bulls (1-0, 1-0 away), looking to start the season 2-0 for the third time in five years.

Oddsmakers aren’t buying Washington’s chances in the NBA odds though, as they pegged Chicago as the road chalk.

Bulls vs Wizards Odds

Odds as of October 20 at Barstool Sportsbook. Claim the ESPN BET promo code to bet on the Bulls vs Wizards game.

The Bulls opened up as 1.5-point favorites, in a contest without a total as of Thursday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm ET at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, a building where the Wizards were 21-20 at last season.

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Chicago Bulls Betting Analysis

Chicago kicked off the new season by beating up on the Heat 116-108 without one of their top scorers. Zach LaVine sat out with a knee issue, opening the door for a massive DeMar DeRozan game.

DeRozan, a longshot NBA MVP odds contender, splashed 37 points, including 28 in the second half, to lead the Bulls to the W. It was the second most points he’s ever scored in a season opener, and he did so by knocking down 64% of his looks against a very good Miami defense.

Zach LaVine (injury management) missed Wednesday's season opener vs Heat due to his knee. In that game:

• Bulls used a nine-man rotation
• DeMar DeRozan had a 31% usage rate
• Ayo Dosunmu took 14 shots, tied for the 2nd most he's ever taken in a gamepic.twitter.com/BBoPRCaf2G

— FantasyLabs NBA (@FantasyLabsNBA) October 20, 2022

The 33-year-old sported a 31% usage rate, which should put him on everyone’s radar in the player props market on Friday, as LaVine will miss this contest as well. LaVine is still not 100% after aggravating an existing knee issue in the preseason.

Chicago also got 17 points from Ayo Dosunmu, who took 14 shots, the second most of his career. Big man Nikola Vucevic had a double-double (15 p, 17 reb), while former Heat guard Goran Dragic poured in 12 points off the bench.

The Bulls shot just 44% from the field, but made up for the lack of efficiency (outside of DeRozan) on defense. Chicago held Miami to a 46% shooting percentage, while racking up 12 steals and forcing 19 turnovers.

DRUMMOND ON THE BREAK.@AndreDrummond | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/cB5W8zOpLU

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 20, 2022

The Bulls ranked bottom-eight in steals, enemy field goal percentage and turnovers forced last season, so this performance versus the Heat is definitely encouraging.

Washington Wizards Betting Analysis

Washington enters play after a 114-107 win over Indiana. Three-time All-Star Bradley Beal led the way with 23 points and six assists, while Kyle Kuzma (22 p, 13 reb) and Kristaps Porzingis (15 p, 10 reb) each added double-doubles.

Bradley Beal on partnering with Kristaps Porzingis 👀

"We'll be really tough to guard especially if a lot of teams want to switch that creates a lot of mismatches. Big guarding me or small guarding him. We just try to keep defenses on their toes and we know our duo can do that." pic.twitter.com/UqOOuOavVx

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) October 20, 2022

Beal and Porzingis helped the Wiz race out to an 11 point first quarter advantage, and they’d hold the lead for the remainder of the game.

Washington shot just 46% from the field, but dominated down low. The Wiz outscored the Pacers 58-34 in the paint, and recorded 10 blocks, two apiece for both Kuzma and Porzingis.

The former Knick and Maverick did show up on the injury report on Thursday with an ankle issue, but is expected to play. Same goes for starting small forward Deni Adjija, who left Wednesday’s season opener after only eight minutes due to an ankle injury of his own.

Deni Avdija (sprained right ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle) are expected to be available to play Friday night, when the Wizards host the Bulls at Capitol One Arena, Wes Unseld Jr. said.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 20, 2022

Defensively, Washington held Indiana to just 40% from the field, which is a vast improvement over last season when they ranked 18th in enemy shooting percentage. Keep in mind though, the Pacers are rebuilding and don’t have nearly the same amount of offensive talent as Chicago – with or without LaVine.

Bulls vs Wizards Prediction

Chicago actually performed quite well last season when LaVine missed, so Wednesday’s impressive win at Miami was no fluke. The Bulls were 9-6 without LaVine in 2021-22, averaging 112 points per contest while committing fewer turnovers.

RT if your team is 1-0. pic.twitter.com/kSHw8YuTFI

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 20, 2022

Chicago graded out five spots higher than Washington in the final preseason rankings, and the Bulls are able to neutralize one of the Wizards biggest strengths. Chicago is no pushover in the paint with Vucevic starting at the five and Andre Drummond coming off the bench.

Give me the Bulls to post back-to-back road victories to start the season.

Pick: Chicago Bulls Moneyline (-115)