Chicago Bulls vs Denver Nuggets NBA Betting Odds
The Chicago Bulls may have begun the 2013-14 NBA season in underwhelming fashion, but they’ve reeled off five straight wins to bring them to 6-3 on the year. The caveat here is that four of the five wins have been against teams that will be out of the playoffs or fighting for a late seed. [ad-4468020]
Chicago (6-3) @ Denver (4-6)
Thursday, Nov. 21 10:30 PM ET @ Pepsi Center
Spread: Chicago -1
O/U: 196
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Their next matchup against the Denver Nuggets fits that same category, but with the game in Mile High City and on national television, the talented Denver roster should pull together and put up a solid fight.
Chicago
As much as the Chicago Bulls have enjoyed having Derrick Rose back in the lineup, their offense has struggled to improve with him running the show. The team is just 24th in the league in points scored (94 per game), and it is a middle-of-the-road unit when it comes to getting each other involved on that side of the floor.
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Defense, on the other hand, is a completely different story. In true Tom Thibodeau fashion, the head coach has his players buying into the system, and as a result, the Bulls are second in points allowed, giving up just 89 points per outing.
To complicate matters on both ends of the floor, guard Jimmy Butler is out indefinitely with a toe injury. The 24-year-old is only averaging 11.2 points per game, but he’s shooting efficiently from the three-point line and he’s averaging nearly two steals per contest.
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Butler’s defense will be sorely missed against a team that will look to run the Bulls out of the gym the second the game tips off.
Denver
The Denver Nuggets don’t care that the Bulls are the No. 2 defensive team in the NBA this season. They’re going to look to score quickly, and they’re going to do it all game long.
On the season, Denver is averaging 104.4 points per outing. That number is good enough for seventh in The Association, and it is a result of its track-meet style of play.
Chicago will try and control the pace of this game from the early onset. It doesn’t want to chase Denver up and down the court for 48 minutes, but that’s the exact game plan the Nuggets have already drawn up.
When it comes down to it, this is going to be a classic battle of offense versus defense. Chicago’s gritty defensive style will give Denver trouble, but the Nuggets’ willingness to get out and run could disrupt the sets Chicago has on the other end of the floor.
The numbers have Chicago as a slight favorite, but the spread is close for a reason. Denver will look to push the tempo all game long, and quite frankly, nobody should be shocked if it squeaks out a close win.
The team is ready to perform on national television, and in front of its home crowd, every player on the roster should be prepared—especially Nate Robinson, who was a member of the Bulls last season.
Prediction: Denver 100 – Chicago 97
