Bulls Are an Automatic Fade Against the NBA's Best Teams

It feels like ages ago that the Chicago Bulls were being talked about as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference and DeMar DeRozan was an MVP candidate.

The Bulls have really fallen off since the All-Star break, slipping to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are just two games ahead of the No. 7 seeded Toronto Raptors.

What has happened to Chicago?

The simple answer? Strength of schedule. The Bulls had one of the toughest second half schedules in the NBA this season, and according to Tankathon, they still have the ninth-toughest schedule remaining this season.

The step up in caliber of their opponents has exposed the Bulls, as they are a dreadful 2-18 against the eight best teams in the NBA.

Yikes.

I'm not saying that you should rip up your Chicago Bulls futures tickets, but the Bulls are going to have to get through a few of these teams if they want any shot at winning the East (+2000 at WynnBET) or the NBA Finals (+3000 at WynnBET).

For bettors in the short term, this is a perfect sign that you need to fade Chicago when takes a step up in competition. I followed this trend yesterday in my NBA Best Bets column, and it came through as the Milwaukee Bucks trounced the Bulls, 126-98, as eight-point favorites.

The Bulls have a solid roster, but they have really struggled over their last 15 games, ranking 25th in the NBA in offensive rating and 20th in defensive rating. They have a net rating of minus-5.3 over that stretch, which is worse than the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards. All four of those teams are likely going to miss the play-in tournament in the East this season.

The Bulls are still waiting for point guard Lonzo Ball to return from a knee injury, and if he does, he could help get them back on track, but I'm not counting on it.

Chicago would have to face the Boston Celtics in the first round if the season ended today, and the Celtics have the league's best net rating (13.3) over the last 15 games.

The Bulls are in trouble then they face the NBA's elite, and your best bet is to fade them until they prove they can win.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record in the NBA this season here.