Game Time: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 26th, 2022 

Venue: United Center, Chicag, Illinois

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread: 

BetMGM:  Spread:  

VegasInsider:  Spread: 

WynnBet: Spread:  

Opening Lines:  Grizzlies -1

Grizzlies: 41-20, 3rd place Western Conference

Bulls: 39-28 1st place Eastern Conference

A non-conference matchup of ALMOST TITANS.  The Eastern Conference is knotted at the top.  Top teams are battling it out for pole position while some teams just below them are waiting for a healthy return, rebirth, reintroduction to have a full squad that can beat anyone.  The Chicago Bulls are in that mix of knotted teams… They spent a good month as the #1 team in the East before injuries made them vulnerable to being overtaken by the Miami Heat.  The Western Conference is being run away with by the top three teams.  The unquestioned top dog is the Phoenix Suns in 1st place!  They are up by 5 games!  But you can’t count out the other two teams, especially since Chris Paul is out until the playoffs start.  The Golden State Warriors are poised to pounce in 2nd place and the Memphis Grizzlies are an unstoppable young hoard in 3rd place.  That is the top three.  The West is made up entirely of those teams and those teams alone.  The Bulls and the Grizzlies have one major thing in common… They are led by a legitimate MVP candidate in DeMar DeRozan for the Bulls and Ja Morant for the Grizzlies… the rest of their casts are deep and talented even with some key guys on the injured list.

The Memphis Grizzlies have won 8 of their last 10 games.  They have gone 7-3 ATS during that stretch.  They have had 8 Overs and 2 Unders during that stretch.  The Grizzlies are a high scoring team that plays each and everybody tough.  The two losses were to the Philadelphia 76ers during a master performance out of Jole Embiid… and the Portland Trail Blazers on a baaaad shooting night.  The Grizzlies win and they are supposed to win.  Led by leading scorer PG Ja Morant, a kid that went from unranked player in his highschool class to the #2 NBA draft pick within two years.  Ja is without a doubt the new face of the NBA alongside Luka Doncic.  If your team has Ja leading them you can expect 26.7 ppg and 6.8 apg… absolutely perfect numbers.  Let’s also not forget that the Grizzlies have a stout and talented front line made up of C Steven Adams and PF Jaren Jackson Jr who combine for 17 rpg and 23 ppg… noty to mention blocks for days.  The sweetheart of Memphis right now is SG Desmond Bane… a second year player that not only filled in for the injured starting SG Dillon Brooks… but flat out took his job. Desmond is good for 17.8 ppg… That is better than you could ever expect from a player filling in for an injured player in just his 2nd year.  It also is funny that the Celtics drafted this guy and could have traded Jaylen Brown if they knew what they had… that would have made the Celtics a Finals contender in the East… but every team has a story like that.

The Chicago Bulls have won 7 of their last ten games and are currently on a 6-game winning streak.  They went 7-3 ATS during that stretch with 6 Overs and 4 Unders.  A lot has been made about copying the Bulls' last two years in the act of team building.  They added through trade by giving up a bunch of young players that had been acquired through draft, by going after vets and quality players.  They added by picking PG/SG Zach LaVine as the definitive player they would keep and build around.  Every team should pay attention.  The Orlando Magic currently have a plethora of young players that the Bulls gave up and are mired in last place in the league with the Detroit Pistons.  The real story is that all the moves were good to good plus… but the home run was in the sign and trade with DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs.  DeMar is killing the game in a way he hasn’t in four seasons.  He is pouring in 28.3 ppg and 5.1 apg.  DeMar is the real deal who was held back for several years by the conservative Popovich offense.  To think that the Los Angeles Lakers had a deal on the table for DeMar instead of Russell Westbrook, but LeBron and their silly GM Rob Pelinka chose the more famous player…. DeMar and 20-25 wins per year walked over to the Bulls for very little.  Something to pay attention to is the rise of backup SG Coby White… If he keeps at the current level the Bulls will have a huge trade chip at season’s end… or someone to start alongside Zach LaVine if the Bulls so choose to put PG Lonzo Ball and SG Alex Caruso on the bench when they come back from injury.  Only time will tell;... but this team is a winner… over and over.  

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Memphis is 41-20 on the season, but 40-21 ATS.  They have logged 33 Overs, 27 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 21-10 in road games.  They have been a good bet and a safe bet for Memphis fans all year!

The Chicago Bulls are 39-21 on the season, but 36-23-1 ATS.  They have logged 32 Overs, 27 Under, and 1 Push.  They are a dominant 24-8 in home games.  The United Center rocks like they haven’t since Derrick Rose’s MVP season.  The cheers are loud and proud.  DeMar DeRozan won’t be Jordan, but he could be Kobe with Pau if the team stays as consistent around him.

Memphis Grizzlies are 3rd in scoring with 113.8 ppg, 1st in rebounds with 49 per game, and 5th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9. On defense they rank 14th while allowing 109.1 ppg from opponents.

The Chicago Bulls are 7th in scoring with 112.6 ppg, 27th in rebounds with 43.4 per game, and 8th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9. On defense with 18th while allowing 110.3 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Saturday, February 26th is….  Bulls 121 - Grizzlies 117

The Bulls should hold home court.  The Grizzlies are great and play well together, but right now the Bulls are on a real run behind DeMar… the team, the fans, the home court will be too much for Ja to beat outright.

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(will fill in soon when the numbers settle)

Grizzlies: PG Ja Morant (hip) Quest ** SG Dillon Brooks (ankle) Out 

Bulls: SF Patrick Williams (wrist) Out ** PG Lonzo Ball (knee) Out ** SG Alex Caruso (wrist) Out

Grizzlies: SF Zaire Williams, PF Jaren Jackson Jr, C Steven Adams, PG Ja Morant, SG Desmond Bane

Bulls: SF DeMar DeRozan, PF Javonte Green, C Nikola Vucevic, SG Zach LaVine, PG Ayo Dosunmu

Grizzlies

Points: Ja Morant 26.7

Assists: Ja Morant 6.8

Rebounds: Steven Adams 9.6

Steals: De’Anthony Melton 1.6

Blocks: Jaren Jackson Jr 2.2

Bulls

Points: DeMar DeRozan 28.3

Assists: DeMar DeRozan 5.1

Rebounds: Nikola Vucevic 11.7

Steals: Alex Caruso 1.9

Blocks: Nikola Vucevic 1.2

Grizzlies: Taylor Jenkins

Bulls: Billy Donovan