Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls Picks, Prediction, Odds, and Line Movement for Sunday January 18 2026
Saturday evening NBA Interconference action, and we have a Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls prediction locked and loaded for you. This is game two of a home-and-home series, with the Nets winning game 1 by a score of 112-109. Brooklyn is now at 12-27 on the year, including 6-12 on the road. Chicago comes in at 19-22 overall, including 12-9 at home. Read on to see our Nets vs Bulls prediction.
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Nets End 5-Game Slide
Brooklyn heads to Chicago on Sunday trying to build on Friday’s 112–109 win over the Bulls, a game they nearly let slip away after blowing a 20‑point fourth‑quarter lead. Michael Porter Jr. bailed them out with a go‑ahead layup with 5.4 seconds left, finishing with 26 points, while Noah Clowney delivered one of his best games of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Brooklyn’s young pieces carried the night—Day’Ron Sharpe added 14, rookie Danny Wolf chipped in 13—and a 15–0 second‑quarter run helped them take control before the late collapse. The win snapped a five‑game losing streak and briefly masked the season‑long issues: the Nets sit last in scoring (108.9 ppg, 30th), near the bottom in field‑goal percentage (44.6%, 29th), and struggle on the glass (40.3 rebounds, 28th). Their defense, however, has been the one stabilizing force, ranking top‑10 in points allowed (113.8 ppg, 10th) even if opponents shoot efficiently against them.
For the rematch in Chicago, Brooklyn’s biggest task is avoiding the same fourth‑quarter meltdown that nearly cost them the opener. The Bulls made a furious push late and actually took a one‑point lead with 11 seconds left before Porter’s winner, and Chicago tends to play sharper at home. Brooklyn needs another strong night from Porter and Clowney, but more importantly, they need steadier halfcourt offense—too many possessions bogged down into late‑clock heaves on Friday. The Nets’ defense should keep them competitive again, but their margin for error is thin given their bottom‑tier shooting and rebounding. If they can limit turnovers, keep Chicago out of transition, and avoid the long scoring droughts that have defined their season, they’ve got a real shot at sweeping the home‑and‑home. Otherwise, the Bulls’ late‑game surge from Friday becomes a much bigger problem on their floor.
Bulls Are Struggling On Offense
Chicago comes back home still stewing over Friday’s 112–109 loss in Brooklyn, a game they had no business being in early but nearly stole late. They trailed by 20 in the fourth before ripping off a furious rally behind Tre Jones, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic, eventually taking a 109–108 lead with 11 seconds left. But a blown inbounds pass and a defensive lapse on Michael Porter Jr.’s game‑winner sent them to their fifth loss in seven games. Over that stretch, Chicago has averaged just 109 points per game, well below their season norm of 117.3, and the offensive inconsistency keeps showing up in long, momentum‑killing droughts. The season‑long numbers still look solid—47.3% shooting, 35.8% from three, top‑six rebounding—but the defense continues to leak, allowing 120.7 points per game and struggling to contain dribble penetration or late‑clock actions.
For the rematch, the Bulls need to bottle up the energy they found in the final six minutes on Friday and apply it from the opening tip. Brooklyn’s offense is bottom‑tier, but Chicago made life too easy for them early, giving up clean looks and losing track of Noah Clowney on the glass. At home, the Bulls should be able to dictate pace more effectively, but they need sharper halfcourt execution and more reliable scoring from their wings to avoid falling into another early hole. The keys are simple: protect the ball, win the rebounding battle, and avoid the defensive lapses that let Brooklyn build that 20‑point cushion. If Chicago plays with the urgency they showed late in the first meeting—and not the passivity that defined the first three quarters—they’re positioned to even the home‑and‑home. 
Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Joe Duffy | +2,333.00 |
| 2 |  Sean Higgs | +1,786.00 |
| 3 |  Ben Burns | +859.00 |
| 4 |  Joseph D'Amico | +756.00 |
| 5 |  Bryan Power | +595.00 |
Nets vs Bulls Spread Pick
- Chicago -6.5 (4 Units)
Bulls -6.5 makes plenty of sense because Chicago already showed in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game that they can overwhelm this Brooklyn roster when they actually lock in, and now they get them at home where their energy and scoring usually spike. The Nets needed a complete collapse from Chicago just to survive, and that’s not the kind of thing you can bank on twice, especially with Brooklyn’s bottom‑tier offense and shaky rebounding going on the road. The Bulls have been inconsistent, but they still have far more reliable scoring options, they’re the better rebounding team, and their defense tends to look sharper in their own building. If they avoid the sleepwalking start that buried them in the first meeting, they have the tools to stretch this one out and cover the number.
Nets vs Bulls Over/Under Pick
- Over 222.5 (5 Units)
The Over 222.5 fits this matchup because both teams have clear paths to scoring, even if neither offense is particularly trustworthy for long stretches. Chicago has been stuck around 109 points per game over its last seven, but that’s largely been about slow starts and choppy execution — when they finally wake up, like they did in the fourth quarter on Friday, they can pile up points quickly. Brooklyn, meanwhile, doesn’t shoot well overall, but they play with enough pace and take enough threes that their games often drift upward once the tempo settles in. The Nets’ defense is solid in terms of points allowed, but they still give up efficient shooting, and Chicago should get cleaner looks at home. Add in the fact that both benches can swing wildly from hot to cold, and you get a game where a couple of short bursts on each side can push this into the mid‑220s without needing a perfect offensive night.
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