The Washington Wizards will travel to take on the Chicago Bulls in an early season test where both teams are playing in the second half of a back-to-back. The Wizards played in DC on Friday, and they fell short against the Toronto Raptors 112-102. Trae Young is still trying to get acclimated to his new team, leading Washington in scoring with 22 points, yet only shooting 33% from the field. The Bulls got their first win of the season against the Bucks yesterday with a final score of 132-125. 25 points from Norman Powell and 21 points from rookie Caleb Wilson helped lead Chicago to Tiago Splitter’s first win as head coach.
The Bulls’ win last night was a bounce back performance after getting blown out in their season debut. Chicago lost against Toronto 135-92 on Wednesday, so it was certainly a welcoming sign to see the young Bulls recover. They didn’t come out of the gate immediately firing against Milwaukee, though. They trailed at the end of the 1st quarter 32-17 before they got going. I believe the Bulls opening two games act as a meter for how Chicago will look early on in the season. With a new head coach and young talent, there will be stretches where the Bulls look great, and stretches where they will show their inexperience to win consistently. The Wizards will now have their opportunity to bounce back with a win against a shaky Bulls team. Anthony Davis has looked healthy and like an All Star for the Wizards early on, averaging 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in his two games. Trae Young has also shown he can still be a high level starting point guard in the NBA with 21 points and 12.5 assists. Washington, led by their veterans, should have the pieces to bounce back against Chicago on Saturday.
Bulls vs Wizards prediction: Wizards +1.5 available at the time of publishing. Playable to Wizards ML (-110).
