Chicago vs Utah NBA Picks
The Bulls were dealt a major blow with Derrick Rose going down with another serious injury. He is definitely out for this one and they will have had just a single game without him in the lineup, a blowout by the Clippers to try and acclimate themselves. [ad-4468020]
Chicago Bulls (6-6) vs. Utah Jazz (1-14)
Monday November 25
EnergySolutions Arena
9:00PM
Moneyline: No ML currently listed
Spread: Chicago -2.5
O/U: 183
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ATS Matchup Insight | CP Insider Gambling Preview
Chicago
The fact is this team was just starting to round itself into shape. They are still more than good enough to beat the Jazz hence the fact that they were favoured.
With Rose out Kirk Hinrich immediately gets more playing. With Hinrich you know exactly what you are going to get…and that is the problem, it isn’t all that much. Rose was struggling to get back to the levels we were used to seeing him at but he was still a major threat on the floor and as a result opened up things for his teammates.
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Hinrich is a decent spot up shooter but he has never been able to blow by opponents or command double teams.
It says a lot about the respect oddsmakers have for the Bulls that they can lose their best player, get beat by almost 40 points and still be a favourite on the second game of a back to back on the road.
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Point spreads often overrate absences due to injury but in this case I am going to be staying away or fading the Bulls for a while.
Utah
I think the last time I wrote about the Jazz they were still winless so at least they have broken through somewhat since then. Since that victory over New Orleans they have lost 6 in a row, most recently getting beaten up on the road by Oklahoma City yesterday.
This game features two teams that are going to be really tough to back.
But somebody has to win this one so lets continue breaking it down.
The Jazz are one of the most balanced scoring team in the league with 5 players averaging double figures in points…yet they are among the lightest scoring teams in the league too. They now have Trey Burke back in the lineup but point guard is a tough position to play as a rookie in the NBA and he is definitely taking some lumps over this first three games.
Even harder for him is probably dealing with the losing. At least he has Gordon Hayward to commiserate in terms of losing an NCAA final.
The Jazz have the worst record in the league so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised they are home underdogs yet again in this one. Despite their crummy record they are a decent 6-8-1 against the number so you can not immediately dismiss them.
I think they will surprise in this matchup of teams coming off big losses.
Spread Pick: Utah +3
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Utah 97 – Chicago 95
