The Denver Nuggets visit the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and will air on CSC and ALT.
The Bulls edged the Spurs 92-89 on Monday. With 18 points and 13 rebounds, Pau Gasol recorded his seventh double-double this season. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 92-74 loss at the hands of the Bucks on Monday. Danilo Gallinari had a good shooting night, leading the team with 13 points.
The Bulls are a heavy 10-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 201 points. Despite a 10-5 Straight Up (SU) record, the Bulls have not fared well Against The Spread (ATS) with a 6-9 record. They have a record of 4-2 both SU and ATS versus the Western Conference. Chicago is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a superb .380 from three-point range. Chicago has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 47.2 rebounds per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Bulls, who allow only 94.7 points per home game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Bulls, who allow a field goal percentage of only .411.
On the other side, Denver has a SU record of 6-12 and an ATS record of 7-10-1.
This is the first meeting of the season for the Bulls and the Nuggets. The last time they played Chicago came out on top, but the Nuggets still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 7-3 SU. Additionally, with a 6-3-1 record, the Nuggets have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi, ATS Winner – Chi, O/U – Under
Notes
Chicago is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games at home.
Chicago is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Chicago is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing Denver.
Chicago is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Denver.
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Denver.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games when playing at home against Denver.
On average, Denver scores 96.5 points per game (ranked 26th), while Chicago allows 98.3 points per game (ranked ninth).
Denver puts up an average of 96.8 points per away game (ranked 21st), while Chicago allows 94.7 points per home game (ranked fourth).
Chicago has a 9-1 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. Denver has yet to win a game in which it puts up fewer than 100 (0-9).
The Chicago Bulls have a losing 1-4 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Denver Nuggets are 6-3 when they hit triple digits.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 98.1 (ranked 27th). The Nuggets rank 25th for their defensive rating of 105.4.
The Chicago Bulls average 100.8 possessions per game and .981 points per possession, while the Denver Nuggets earn fewer possessions (97.9) but more points per possession (.986).
The Chicago Bulls average an effective field goal percentage of 47.1% this season. The Denver Nuggets have an abysmal record of 3-11 when opponents have an EFF% of 47.1% or greater.
Chicago makes an average of 22.1 assists per game (ranked 10th), while Denver makes 21.3 assists per game (ranked 17th).
The Chicago Bulls average 5.8 blocks per game for a rank of ninth. The Denver Nuggets rank lower (18th), earning 4.8 blocks each game.
Chicago is ranked 24th in offensive rebounding. Denver ranks 25th in defensive rebounds.
Denver makes around 7.4 steals per game. When Chicago gives up 7 or more steals, the team has an even 4-4 record.
