Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls: Odds, Spread, and Total
American sports leagues can’t decide how to book a two-game series anymore. Basketball and hockey teams alike have been playing double-feature series in one team’s town on both nights, but…
American sports leagues can't decide how to book a two-game series anymore. Basketball and hockey teams alike have been playing double-feature series in one team's town on both nights, but there seems to still be a place for traditional home-and-home series too. The Brooklyn Nets are poised to meet the Chicago Bulls in a home-and-home duel starting in New York on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The 11-27 Nets come off a long road trip hoping for better times at Barclays Center. Fans understand the plight of a tanking team, yet it would be better for Brooklyn's morale if the Nets' 6-12 away record wasn't paired with an abysmal 5-15 record on their home hardwood. The 19-21 Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, are struggling on the road as badly as the Nets at home, losing three straight away games since Dec. 23.
The Bulls will be looking for a measure of revenge on the Nets. Brooklyn won 113-103 in the Windy City on Dec. 3, riding a 33-point double-double from Nets star Michael Porter Jr., strong perimeter defense, and eight blocks. Brooklyn has defeated Chicago in six of the clubs' previous nine meetings.
Spread
- Nets +1.5 (-133)
- Bulls -1.5 (+127)
Money line
- Nets -113
- Bulls +108
Total
- Over 226.5 (+100)
- Under 226.5 (-108)
Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 16, 2026, and may have changed since writing.
Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls Betting Trends
- Brooklyn is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games against Chicago.
- Betting totals have gone under in 14 of the last 18 meetings.
- The Chicago Bulls have gone 0-3 away from home in 2026.
Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls Injury Reports
Brooklyn Nets
- Forward Haywood Highsmith is out following knee surgery.
- Forward Ziaire Williams is questionable with an illness.
Chicago Bulls
- Forward Julian Phillips is questionable with a wrist injury.
- Point guard Yuki Kawamura is questionable with a lower leg injury.
- Forward Zach Collins is out with a toe injury.
- Point guard Josh Giddey is out with a hamstring injury.
- Forward Noa Essengue is out with a shoulder injury.
Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls Predictions and Picks
Do tanking franchises want to build a future dynasty, or do they prefer to keep losing at all costs? Porter Jr. is the subject of heavy trade rumors, now whispered to be going to Golden State or Milwaukee. He would command Brooklyn a pricey return in draft value. But he is only 27, and doesn't qualify as the kind of slow-footed veteran who would be so quickly ushered off a tanking club's roster in most cases.
Chicago's cagers wish Brooklyn would trade Porter Jr. before they have to face him again on Friday. Bulls bloggers are ready to write off a squad that's mired in the same Eastern Conference pack as it was in the last several seasons as of January. This week's lead at BlogaBull.com confesses that the site's author is "pretty checked out on (watching the Bulls) lately … I can't be disappointed if I don't expect anything."
The Bulls' frontcourt has gotten better with the ball, but the same players don't defend on the inside, giving up ugly amounts of points in the paint. The Bulls' struggle to guard should help the Nets' low-ranking offense find a rare solid rhythm at home, leading to an over-total-points outcome in the contest.
