The San Antonio Spurs (14-3) will attempt to keep their five-game winning streak alive when they meet the Chicago Bulls (9-5) at the United Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 30 and can be seen on CSC, NBA, FSW and C+D.
The Bulls are expecting a better outcome after their 104-92 loss to the Pacers on Friday. Nikola Mirotic was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-88 win against the Hawks on Saturday. Kawhi Leonard was the game’s top scorer, registering 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
Leonard has upped his play over the last five games for the Spurs, averaging 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 2.6 three-pointers.
The Bulls might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the league’s best defenses. The Spurs rank first in the NBA in defensive efficiency, while Chicago ranks 26th in offensive efficiency. Also, the sharp-shooting offense of the Spurs ranks fifth in effective field goal percentage at 51.6%, while the Bulls are second-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (45.3%).
The Spurs take on the Bulls as a three-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 195 points. Despite being 9-5 Straight Up (SU), the Bulls have struggled to cover the spread in most of their matchups, only managing a record of 5-9 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-2 SU and ATS against the Western Conference. Chicago’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the league, allowing just 7.0 three-pointers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Spurs have 14-3 SU and 11-6 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, San Antonio is 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS. The Spurs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fourth in the NBA at 1.75. Moving on to San Antonio’s defense, the Spurs allow just 89.7 points per game, ranking them first in the league. The Spurs have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .422. Blocking shots is an area where San Antonio has excelled. The Spurs average 6.5 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the league.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was a Spurs victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. They are also even ATS in their last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Under
Notes
Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games.
Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Chicago is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago’s last 15 games when playing San Antonio.
Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing San Antonio.
Chicago is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
On average, Chicago puts up 97.3 points per home game (ranked 24th), while San Antonio gives up 94.8 points per away game (ranked third).
The San Antonio Spurs won their last game by 20 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Chicago Bulls are 1-1. San Antonio is 4-0 in blowouts this season.
San Antonio has not lost a game this season when giving up under 100 points (13-0). Chicago is even (4-4) when it scores under 100 this season.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Spurs are just 1-3 this season. Chicago is a dazzling 5-1 when registering triple digits.
The Spurs have an offensive rating of 103.6 (ranked eighth), while the Bulls rank sixth for their defensive rating of 98.0.
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third with a FG% of 47.2%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Chicago Bulls are winless with a 0-2 record.
Chicago attempts an average of 22.0 three pointers per game and San Antonio attempts 19.0 per game on average. When the teams attempt at least 25 three pointers, the Bulls have an even 3-3 record while the Spurs are undefeated with a 1-0 record.
The San Antonio Spurs are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.75 (ranked fourth). Ranking eighth, the Chicago Bulls have an A/TO of 1.62.
The Chicago Bulls are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 46.9 rebounds per game (ranked third). The San Antonio Spurs rank seventh, rebounding 46.0 times each game.
The Chicago Bulls are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The San Antonio Spurs rank 25th in offensive rebounding.
The Chicago Bulls’ opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 12.1% this season. The San Antonio Spurs have a formidable 11-2 record when their TOV% is 12.1% or higher.
