For all of the talk about Derrick Rose’s return and the impact it would have making the Chicago Bulls an NBA title contender, it seems as though we overlooked another key piece in Jimmy Butler. Arguably the league’s most improved player this season, Butler is a big reason the Bulls have won eight of their last 10 games to hold down fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Butler will look to help Chicago kick off a new year in style when they host the Denver Nuggets on a Thursday night that bucks the tradition of the doubleheader with both games set to start at 8 PM ET. Here is a quick look at the two Thursday night NBA games.
Denver Nuggets @ Chicago Bulls – 7 p.m. ET
NBA Betting Odds: Bulls -11
Butler has averaged a team-high 21.7 points per game as well as 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 steals so far this season which should have him in the conversation for Most Valuable Player as well as Most Improved Player. Butler’s ascendance has allowed Rose to move at his own pace as he gets more comfortable with his health. Its’ been a great situation for him as he can take a backseat on a nightly basis while Butler, Pau Gasol, and even Taj Gibson carry the load. That trio has played at a very high level. The one area where Chicago could really improve is at home where they have won just eight of their 14 games to this point. That’s quite surprising considering they finished 27-14 at home last season and that was wihout the services of Rose for most of the year.
Fortunately for the Bulls, Denver has been absolutely terrible on the road of late and there is no reason to think that won’t continue in another tough matchup on Thursday night. The Nuggets have dropped 11 of their 15 away games and the oddsmakers expect them to keep those trends up on Thursday.
Chicago is playing its best basketball of the season, winning 10 of their 12. Moreover, they’re coming off a disappointing home loss to Brooklyn in their latest outing, so the chances of them flopping twice in a row at the United Center is unlikely. Eventually the Bulls will start to get the results they need at home and it should start on Thursday. The Nuggets have lost four of five and have no momentum right now. This meeting will be a clash of two teams headed in opposite directions and the final score from this game should illustrate that. Lay the points with the Bulls. Pick: Chicago
Sacramento Kings @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 7 p.m. ET
NBA Betting Odds: Kings -3.5
Andrew Wiggins and an impressive young core have had a tough ride in a deep Western Conference and while it would be unrealistic to expect much better in terms of their overall record, the reality is the Timberwolves could very well finally be headed in the right direction. The Kings, on the other hand, have a better team and a better record, but there are some that question whether this is as good as their roster can be and if this is the ceiling for Sacramento. There was a very positive start to the season with a 9-5 record in November. However, DeMarcus Cousins suffered an illness, the team slid without him in the lineup, they fired head coach Mike Malone and they enter Thursday’s game just 13-19.
The key should be Cousins, who has averaged a team-high 24.7 points and 12.3 rebounds so far this season. Minnesota doesn’t have the bodies to hold down Cousins or keep up with the Kings offense if it gets hot in this game. While the Timberwolves might have the brighter long term future outlook with so many young stars, it should be Sacramento securing a victory on the road here. They’re laying a short number but Cousins is the best player on both sides, and that should be the reason they cover in their game of the NBA’s Thursday night schedule. Pick: Sacramento
