The Bulls gave us the theatrics last night against Indiana — a DeMar DeRozan buzzer-beater, a great overtime performance, the works. Well, now Coby White, the Bulls second-leading scorer who took 17 shots last night, is facing injury questions. So is Coby White playing tonight? And how does it affect props for Chicago’s leading scorer in DeRozan? Let’s dive into the latest Coby White injury update to discuss viable betting options for today’s matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls. If you’re hungry for more picks, check out our NBA player prop betting.
Coby White Injury Update: Is Chicago’s Star Playing Thursday?
Coby White Injury Update | Thursday, March 14
White suffered a hip injury on Wednesday when Pascal Siakam went for a block on him on a fastbreak. It was a legal block with no foul called, but Siakam landed awkwardly on White, which led to White having to exit. White seems to have avoided serious injury, but the hip injury is going to cause him to miss his first game of the season on Thursday when the Bulls take on the Clippers.
White has had a breakout 2023-24 season and is currently in a tight race for Most Improved Player with Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey. He is second on the Bulls in scoring with 19.5 points per game and is doing so on 45.2% shooting, the best of his career, and White comfortably leads the Bulls in made 3’s per game (2.8 on 38.8% shooting). His absence creates a massive scoring gap on the Bulls.
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So Does White’s Absence Make DeRozan a Good Bet?
It would stand to reason that DeRozan would see a big uptick in his scoring now that White — the only other reliable ball handler and shot creator on the team — is out. However, DeRozan is seeing a line that is 2 points up from his season average (23.4 points a game), and OddsShopper views that as too big a jump, even with DeRozan coming off a 46-point game against Indiana.
Some of this will come down to Kawhi Leonard’s injury status, but the Clippers have some high-end perimeter defenders. On top of that, the Bulls are in an odd mode of experimentation, which has led to Onuralp Bitim and Julian Phillips getting oddly significant minutes, creating an entirely unpredictable scoring environment for Chicago.
Plus, this game has one of the lowest totals on the board at 214.5 — even if the Bulls keep it close (which may be unlikely if Leonard plays and White does not), there may not be enough offense here for DeRozan to boost his scoring as much as one may think.
OddsShopper is all over the under here on DeRozan’s points despite the loss of White, as his 52% chance of scoring 25 or less is offset by strong -104 odds on FanDuel, making this under +EV by 1.4%
Clippers-Bulls Pick: DeMar DeRozan Under 25.5 Points -104 at FanDuel
