Jazz vs. Bulls Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, Jan. 14

Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz have played a wild sequence of games recently, losing by 55 to the Charlotte Hornets before upsetting the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.

Now, Utah remains on the road to take on the Chicago Bulls, who are coming off a road loss against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Chicago has been without Josh Giddey as of late, and it’s once again looking like a fringe play-in tournament team in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Jazz have been better than expected, which could be a problem if they want to keep their top eight protected pick.

Oddsmakers have set the Bulls as favorites in this game, and it makes sense since the Jazz are just 5-13 straight up on the road this season and have the worst defensive rating in the NBA.

Let’s dive into the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Wednesday’s contest.

Jazz vs. Bulls Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Jazz +2.5 (-105)
Bulls -2.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Jazz: +120
Bulls: -142

Total

243.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Jazz vs. Bulls How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 14
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: United Center
How to Watch (TV): KJZZ, CHSN
Jazz record: 14-25
Bulls record: 18-21

Jazz vs. Bulls Injury Reports

Jazz Injury Report

Elijah Harkless – out
Walker Kessler – out
Kevin Love – out
Georges Niang – out
John Tonje – out
Oscar Tshiebwe – out

Bulls Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Jazz vs. Bulls Best NBA Prop Bets

Jazz Best NBA Prop Bet

Lauri Markkanen 25+ Points (-152)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Markkanen is a great prop target against his former team:

Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is a terrific prop target on Wednesday night against a Chicago Bulls team that is just 26th in the NBA in defensive rating and opponent points per game.

This is a little bit of a revenge spot for Markkanen against one of his former teams, and he dominated the Bulls in a double overtime win back in mid-November, scoring 47 points on 15-of-33 shooting from the field.

Markkanen is averaging 27.9 points per game this season while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3. He’s taking a career-high 19.7 shots per game, leading to the best scoring season of his career.

I’ve lowered Markkanen’s points prop to just 25+ for this pick, and he’s hit the 25-point mark in 22 of his 33 games this season, including four of five games in the month of January.

The Bulls are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, and these teams are No. 3 and No. 4 in the NBA in pace. That should lead to a high-scoring affair on Wednesday night.

Jazz vs. Bulls Prediction and Pick

These teams went to double overtime the last time they played, combining for 302 points in the process.

While I’m not expecting that high-scoring of a game, I do think the OVER is the play on Wednesday with the Bulls playing the second night of a back-to-back.

These teams are No. 3 (Chicago) and No. 4 (Utah) in pace this season, and they both rank in the bottom 10 of the league in defensive rating and opponent points per game. The Jazz are allowing an NBA-worst 126.9 points per game while the Bulls are giving up 120.8.

So, if these teams just allow those averages, this game will end up well over tonight’s total.

On top of that, the OVER is 24-15 in Utah’s games this season, the second-best OVER record in the NBA.

Defense is going to be optional on Wednesday, and I’d much rather bet on a high-scoring game than trying to figure out which of these sub-.500 teams will cover.

Pick: OVER 243.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

Claim the latest DraftKings promo code offer today. Sign up and win your first $5 bet to get $200 in bonus bets instantly.