Pinnacle +197 BET365 +195 Sportsinteraction +195 888Sport +195

Posted at 11:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change.

Chicago +197 ML over Detroit

United Center – Chicago, IL

7:00 PM ET. We always preach the importance of playing numbers, not teams, and this matchup is a textbook example of that philosophy. Chicago and Detroit have already met twice this month, with the Pistons taking both games. In the first meeting in Detroit, the Pistons covered as a six-point favorite, winning by nine. In the second meeting last night in Chicago, they humiliated the Bulls by 40 points as a five-point favorite. And yet, when the line opened this morning, Detroit was favored by just 4.5 points.

Wait, what?

We love moving in on head-scratching lines like this because they tell us that the numbers don’t tell the whole story. A 40-point drubbing is ugly, and no one wants to back the team that just got obliterated, especially in a nationally discussed beatdown. Detroit led at halftime 71-29, the largest halftime lead in franchise history. Naturally, the market has buried Chicago today. Nobody wants a piece of the Bulls. But that’s exactly where we step in.

Remember earlier this season when the Clippers beat the Nets by nearly 60? The next night, Brooklyn was in the exact same situation Chicago is in now—completely abandoned by the market, written off as dead. The Nets went into Los Angeles as a massive underdog against the Lakers and not only covered with ease, but nearly pulled off the outright upset. The exact same setup is in play here, and the oddsmakers are already warning us that last night’s blowout isn’t all it seems.

Chicago had a historically bad first half where everything unraveled. The Bulls—typically a 37% three-point shooting team—missed their first 20 three-point attempts. That’s absurd. Missing 20 straight threes has the same statistical likelihood as a team catching fire and dropping 150 points in a game. These types of outlier performances simply don’t happen twice in a row. When Chicago finally settled in during the second half, they actually outscored Detroit.

The best way for the Bulls to erase that disaster? Pick up where they left off in the second half and play a full 48 minutes. If that version of Chicago shows up, this game will be competitive, and believe it or not, Chicago can win outright. It might sound crazy, but the writing is on the wall. The oddsmakers have dropped this line from previous meetings because they know the Bulls are primed for revenge. Detroit is overvalued, and Chicago is seeing red.

Take advantage of BET365's early NFL payout offer! 

For straight bets, if the team you back to win goes 17 Points ahead at any stage during the game, BET365 will pay out your bet in full regardless of whether the opposition comes back to win the game.

For parlays and Same Game Parlays, if a team you have backed goes 17 Points ahead, this selection will be marked as won within My Bets, with the remaining selections left to run.

Here is a wager we were paid out early on that would eventually lose. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------