Guide, odds, predictions and more

One of the best teams in the Central Division hosts one of its worst on Friday night.

The weak Chicago Bulls (0-1) head to Fiserv Forum to face the Milwaukee Bucks (1-0) in their first meeting of the 2024-25 regular season. It will be fascinating to see how these two franchises, seemingly going in opposite directions, compete against each other.

Wisconsin fans can watch the game locally via the FanDuel Sports Network. Chicago-based fans of both teams can catch the action on the all-new Chicago Sports Network, owned by Bulls majority governor Jerry Reinsdorf. Wisconsin fans can tune in to WTMJ on 620 AM/103.3 FM. Fans in other locations can watch the game on League Pass or stream it on fuboTV. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET.

According to sports betting aggregator The Action Network, the Bucks are -9.5 point favorites to defend their home opener on Friday.

Although injury-prone Bulls All-Star small forward Zach LaVine is the headline act among non-Chicagoans, he isn’t even the Bulls’ best player. That would be combo guard Coby White, who was a fringe All-Star candidate himself last season. Expect him to take advantage of Damian Lillard and/or Gary Trent Jr. and go downhill more than he did in the Bulls’ season-opening 123-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

But also make sure that it doesn’t matter. Milwaukee is far better and needs to win games like this against the scum of the East.

LaVine had a remarkably efficient first game for Chicago on Wednesday. He scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field (5 of 8 from distance) and 2 of 3 shooting from the foul line and grabbed five rebounds. and provided three assists against a brutal seven turnovers. He also committed four fouls. It’s no secret that both LaVine and the Bulls would like to negotiate a LaVine trade, but it appears team president Arturas Karnisovas hasn’t been willing to act on all the suggestions he’s received.

The Bucks previously had one of the best perimeter defenses in the game, consisting of long-time all-defensive point guard Jrue Holiday (now with the Boston Celtics), all-star small forward Khris Middleton and former power forward Giannis, the defensive lineman of the Year Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo was exposed in that regard in the playoffs, Middleton lost a step, and Holiday was replaced by Damian Lillard, who couldn’t care less about defensive containment. Gary Trent Jr. is Milwaukee’s starting shooting guard, and he’s not exactly a lockdown guy either. With Middleton still ailing, 3-and-D veteran minimum swingman Taurean Prince will claim the starting spot. How he handles LaVine could determine how close this Bucks win is.

More money: Milwaukee is considering a trade to make room for the 2021 champ