- 1 Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards: a home opener for a team shooting 20.5% from three
- 2 Chicago Bulls: 127.5 points allowed per game and no Nic Claxton
- 3 Washington Wizards: Trae Young at 12.5 assists, and a 12-game road skid in the East
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
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Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards: a home opener for a team shooting 20.5% from three 
Chicago has made 20.5% of its three-point attempts through two games. The Bulls still split those games, and on Saturday they bring that 1-1 record to the United Center for their home opener against Washington, tip-off 8pm ET.
The win came on Friday in Milwaukee, 132-125, in a game the league moved up four hours because the Brewers were hosting Game 1 of the World Series that night. Norman Powell scored 25, rookie Caleb Wilson added 21 and Leonard Miller added 19. Two nights earlier the same team lost 135-92 in Toronto.
Washington is also 1-1. The Wizards beat Milwaukee 128-116 at home on Wednesday, then lost 112-102 to Toronto on Friday. Saturday opens a run of three straight road games, the first trip of their season.
Both teams have beaten Milwaukee this week, Washington by 12 at home and Chicago by seven on the road, and both lost to Toronto. Through two games each, the common opponents tell us very little about which roster is better.
Both teams played on Friday night, so neither side has a rest edge. We’d note that the Bulls have lost their last seven games on the second night of a back-to-back, while eight of Washington’s last nine games in that spot went over the total.
The market can’t separate them. Washington is a 1.5-point road favorite, the moneyline sits around 1.89 on the Wizards and 1.91 on the Bulls, and the total is posted between 243.5 and 244.5.
A road team that has dropped its last 12 games away to Eastern Conference opponents is favored in an opener, and we think the number is right to lean that way.
Chicago Bulls: 127.5 points allowed per game and no Nic Claxton 
The defensive numbers are the problem. Chicago has allowed 127.5 points per game on 48.6% shooting, and that follows a season in which the Bulls ranked 28th in points allowed at 121.5 per game.
Nic Claxton is out with a hamstring injury, which leaves the frontcourt to Jalen Smith and Matas Buzelis. Smith leads the team with 10.5 rebounds per game and shoots 55% from the field, and his 14 points and 13 boards in Milwaukee were the steadiest line on the box score.
Powell carries the scoring at 20.0 points a night. Wilson, the fourth pick in the 2026 draft out of North Carolina, is producing at both ends: 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game to go with his scoring.
Josh Giddey runs the offense with 7.5 assists per game and is listed as probable. Jordan Hawkins and fellow rookie Dailyn Swain are questionable, while Zach Collins and Tobe Awaka are probable.
The shooting is where we can’t find a case for Chicago. A 20.5% clip from three over two games won’t hold forever, and Buddy Hield is at 42.9%, but the rest of the rotation hasn’t hit enough to stretch a defense built around Anthony Davis.
The Bulls have won seven of their last eight home games against Washington.
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Washington Wizards: Trae Young at 12.5 assists, and a 12-game road skid in the East 
Trae Young is averaging 21 points and 12.5 assists, and he did most of the work again on Friday with 22 points and 12 assists against Toronto. He shot 5 of 15 from the field in that game, 4 of 10 from deep.
Anthony Davis is at 21.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Against a Chicago frontcourt without Claxton, he’s the biggest matchup problem on the floor.
Tre Johnson gave Washington a second scorer in the Toronto loss with 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting, including 4 of 8 from three. Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly added 11 apiece, and Coulibaly leads the team with 2.0 steals per game.
The roster is thin at forward. AJ Dybantsa is out with an ankle injury, Tristan Vukcevic is out with a hip problem and Jamir Watkins is done for the season with a torn ACL. Felix Okpara is questionable.
Washington’s shooting hasn’t been much better than Chicago’s at 27.7% from three, though the Wizards have scored 115 per game on 45.5% from the field and allowed 114. That’s a 13.5-point gap in points allowed between the two teams after two games each.
Wednesday’s 128-116 win over the Bucks showed what the offense looks like when the supporting shooters connect. Washington beat a Milwaukee team led by Tyler Herro, and the Bucks went on to concede 132 to Chicago two nights later.
The road record is the strongest argument against them. Washington has lost its last 12 road games against Eastern Conference teams, and the road team has covered in each of the last three meetings in this series.
Probable lineup Chicago Bulls: Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith
Probable lineup Washington Wizards: Trae Young, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr, Anthony Davis
Free NBA Prediction: Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards
Our prediction: Washington Wizards to win (moneyline, 1.89)
We’re backing Washington. Davis and Young have combined for 42.5 points per game, and Chicago will face Davis without Claxton. The Bulls have allowed 127.5 per game and shot 20.5% from three, and we’d rather trust the team giving up 13.5 fewer points a night.
The 12-game road skid against East teams is a real mark against the Wizards, and a home-opener crowd at the United Center will help Chicago early. We still weigh the current rosters over a run that mostly belongs to last season.
Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, and Chicago has lost its last seven games in that situation. At a near coin-flip price of 1.89, Washington is the side we’d take.
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