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Bucks vs. Bulls NBA Player Props, Odds: Picks & Predictions for Friday

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: March 1, 2024 7:24 PM EST • 3 min 48 sec read.

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls as we make our Bucks vs. Bulls NBA player props predictions and picks for Friday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket against DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on December 11, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images via AFP.

Our Bucks vs. Bulls NBA player props based on the best NBA odds focus on Chicago's DeMar DeRozan and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of Friday's matchup.

After a rough beginning to the Doc Rivers era, the Milwaukee Bucks have seemingly righted the ship with a four-game win streak entering Friday. They'll look to stay hot against the division rival Chicago Bulls in an Eastern Conference clash that tips off at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Bucks (39-21) have posted a worse record than the Bulls (28-31) under their new coach, winning eight of 16 games compared to Chicago's 7-6 record since Rivers' hiring on Jan. 24. But they've been the better team on a per-possession basis, with a top-six defense over that 16-game sample.

That'll be key on Friday, as DeMar DeRozan went off for 41 points the last time these teams played on Dec. 11. Can he replicate that scoring success in Friday's rematch?

Along with our Mavericks vs. Celtics NBA player props, here are our best Bucks vs. Bulls NBA player props and NBA picks (odds via our best NBA betting sites; Pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Bucks vs. Bulls NBA player props: Friday

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Bucks vs. Bulls props

DeMar DeRozan Over 22.5 points (-122 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DeRozan went off for a season-high 41 points when these teams last met in December. While he likely won't reach those heights Friday, this is still an incredibly appealing total for the Bulls' red-hot scorer.

DeRozan has been averaging 27.1 points since the beginning of February on a whopping 17.9 attempts per game, and he's scored 24-plus points in nine of those 10 contests. He's done so despite making just nine combined threes, doing most of his damage in the mid-range and at the charity stripe.

That's a perfect recipe against the Bucks, who have allowed the NBA's most mid-range shot attempts (740) and makes (326), which is a staple of DeRozan's game. They've also given up the third-most points per outing to opposing shooting guards (23.86) and fifth-most to point guards (25.72), which is functionally how DeRozan has been operating since Zach LaVine's season-ending injury in late January.

You'll need to pay a bit extra to get this number at FanDuel, though Over 22.5 is trading at -140 or worse across the rest of our best sports betting sites after being offered at 23.5 earlier in the afternoon.

This is one of my favorite NBA plays of the week, and one that could realistically cash by the third quarter.

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Nikola Vucevic Over 1.5 threes (+105 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐  

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While the Bucks have been struggling to defend perimeter scorers in general, the team has been especially bad at limiting opposing bigs from distance. It's a mismatch we've already exploited in recent weeks, and one we'll gladly hit again.

Milwaukee has allowed the second-most 3-pointers per game to opposing centers (1.23) and the fourth-most to opposing power forwards (2.75), which underscores the team's commitment to defending the paint at all costs. That works when you're trying to win basketball games, but it spells value in the player props market for the savvy bettor.

Vucevic isn't known for his shooting stroke, but he's made multiple threes in nine of 12 games against the Bucks since joining Chicago at the 2021 trade deadline - including all three matchups in 2023-24. With this prop dealing as short as -115 through two of our best sportsbooks, I love this plus-money price at BetMGM.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 11.5 rebounds (-113 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐  

With LaVine's injury and a lack of long-term solutions in the frontcourt, the Bulls have been struggling to find a consistent lineup over the past month. That opens up a nice opportunity for those backing Antetokounmpo in this matchup.

Chicago leads the league in rebound rate (53.1%) since LaVine's final game of the season on Jan. 18, but the team has allowed the second-most rebounds per game to opposing power forwards (11.08) across the entire campaign. That makes sense given the high volume of three-guard lineups and general lack of size outside of Vucevic, who could be operating more along the perimeter than usual.

While Brook Lopez could see a dip in his already low rebounding production during this matchup, Antetokounmpo should be free to crash the boards with reckless abandon. He's cleared this total in each of his last two games against the Bulls and should be able to stuff the stat sheet again on Friday.

Bucks-Bulls NBA player props made Friday at 2 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
C Jackson Cowart
C Jackson Cowart is an award-winning sports writer, reporter, and editor with nearly a decade of experience in the industry, with previous stops at theScore, Action Network, Forbes, and ESPN before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's written about sports betting for the last five years, with a specialty in NFL, NBA, MLB, and collegiate futures markets and a weakness for novelty props and betting on the eventual runner-up. He's also an avid fantasy sports manager and commissioner and runs a sports card business on the side. He's a fiercely proud Oregon native and UNC alumnus, and he can't seem to stop betting on Ben Simmons to win MVP.