The Chicago Bulls travel to Mile High in the hopes of ending an 8-game losing streak. But they will have their job cut out for them as they will face the Denver Nuggets.
The Chicago Bulls have lost eight in a row and it’s not that they have been massacred game after game. The Bulls’ problem is that they can’t seem to finish strong and close out ball games. The Bulls had that same problem last Tuesday against the LeBron-less Lakers. Now the Bulls get another tough assignment by drawing the West’s #2 seed Denver Nuggets.
The Bulls rank last in scoring at 100.9 points per game scored. Chicago is 17th in the league in scoring defense with 110.9 points per game allowed. The Bulls are also ranked 27th in both passing and rebounding at 21.5 assists per game and 41.4 rebounds per game, respectively.
Chicago Bulls vs Denver Nuggets 1/17/19
Moneyline Odds: Bulls +700, Nuggets -950
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/17/19
The Denver Nuggets entered Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors as the #1 team in the West. They played the Dubs at home and Denver was looking to formally introduce themselves to Golden State as the new team to beat in the West. However, the Dubs put on a shooting clinic and blasted the Nuggets 142-111. Humiliated, the Nuggets will try to bounce back right away and they have a good chance to do that against the struggling Bulls.
The Nuggets have the 18th best scoring offense in the league at 110.4 points per game. Denver is ranked 3rd in passing with 27.2 assists per game and 8th in rebounding at 46.8 points per game. Denver is allowing their opponents to score just 106.3 points per game, giving them the 6th best scoring defense in the NBA.
The Bulls are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played. Chicago is 1-5 SU in their last six road games played. The Nuggets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. Denver is 4-1 SU in their last 5 home games played. Head to head, the Nuggets are 7-3 in their last 10 games against the Bulls.
Chicago is really struggling badly and have lost eight straight games. However, they are a scrappy team that fights tooth and nail every game. In their last game against the Lakers, the Bulls didn’t give up after trailing big and made a game out of a blowout in the final minutes. But without a superstar, the Bulls will have a difficult time closing out games and especially winning on the road. That will be their problem again, this time against the Nuggets who are much better than the Lakers team that beat them the last time out.
The Nuggets are the 2nd best team in the West and are coming off a humiliating loss to the Warriors. For sure, Denver is angry right now and will be playing to massacre the Bulls to erase Tuesday’s debacle against the Dubs. Denver won 12 straight home games before Tuesday and you bet they want to start a new streak. The Nuggets have been impressive this season, especially at home and with the likes of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, they simply have too much talent for the Bulls to handle.
We’re picking the Denver Nuggets to beat the Chicago Bulls on 1/17/19.
Chicago is 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Bulls are 3-2-1 ATS in their last six road games. The Nuggets are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Denver is 2-3 ATS in their last five home games. Head to head, the Nuggets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings versus the Bulls.
Chicago Bulls vs Denver Nuggets 1/17/19
Spread Odds: Bulls +12.5 (-108), Nuggets -12.5 (-112)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/17/19
Chicago is 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games against the Western Conference, 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games after a loss and 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Denver is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games, 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games played at home. The Bulls have not been up to the task of beating Western Conference teams while the Nuggets have been really solid at home.
Prediction: Nuggets -12.5
The over is 6-4 in the Bulls’ last 10 games played and the total has gone over in 7 out of the last 10 games played by the Nuggets. Denver has seen the over go 4-1 in their last five home games. Head to head, the over is 8-2 in the last 10 games between the Bulls and Nuggets.
Chicago Bulls vs Denver Nuggets 1/17/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 212 -115, Under 212 -105
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/17/19
The over is 9-1 in Denver’s last 10 games against teams whose winning percentage on the road are below .400 and 14-2 in the Nuggets’ last 16 games against teams with losing records. Denver has really poured in the points against the bottom teams. The Bulls are no different.
Prediction: Over 212
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