The Daily Sweat: Can the Bulls finally beat a good team when they face Bucks?
The Chicago Bulls have had a really good season, with one problem. They have struggled badly against good teams.
If the Bulls were a college team, the selection committee might not let them in the tournament due to a lack of quality wins. According to Statmuse, after a March 18 loss to the Phoenix Suns the Bulls fell to 0-15 against the top three teams in each conference.
For a team that has had a nice breakout and spent time as the top team in the Eastern Conference, the inability to beat good teams all season is surprising. The Bulls get another shot Tuesday as they face the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks are 7.5-point favorites at BetMGM.
That number seems high until you take the Bulls' record against good teams into account. The East is competitive and the Bulls have quickly dropped to the No. 5 seed the past few weeks as the schedule got tougher. The Bulls got a nice win over a hot Toronto Raptors team on Monday night and are still 2.5 games up on the No. 7 seed, which is where the play-in tournament entries start. The Bulls have had a great, fun season and falling to the play-in tournament before the regular playoff bracket is set would be a huge disappointment. To avoid that, the Bulls will have to beat some good teams.
Perhaps they can finally break through that wall in Milwaukee.
Here's a first look at the sports betting slate for Tuesday:
What else is happening in the NBA?
It's a typical short schedule for the NBA on Tuesday. There are three other games, and the most compelling might be the Los Angeles Clippers at the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are 6.5-point favorites.
Before Major League Baseball starts, before the Masters and in the days while March Madness resets, there won't be a ton of great action to bet on.
How does the NHL schedule look?
If you want to check out the NHL before the playoffs start, Tuesday night is a good night for it. There are 11 games. There's a very good game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, with the Hurricanes as a -120 favorite at BetMGM. The Hurricanes have the best record in the Metropolitan Division and the Lightning are second in the Atlantic Division.
What's the best bet?
There's not a ton to pick from but let's go with the Atlanta Hawks as 1.5-point favorites at the New York Knicks. The Knicks have had a bad season and have been horrible at home. The Hawks have been disappointing, too, but maybe they can get a win on Tuesday night.
