One night after suffering a clutch loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls will take the floor on the road against the defending champs.
What a fun way to ruin my Saturday night!
Game Info
Chicago Bulls (2-4) at Denver Nuggets (5-0) – 8:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Projected Starters
Chicago Bulls
- Coby White
- Zach LaVine
- DeMar DeRozan
- Torrey Craig
- Nikola Vucevic
Injury Report: Zach LaVine PROBABLE (back), DeMar DeRozan QUESTIONABLE (rest), Ayo Dosunmu OUT (illness), Alex Caruso PROBABLE (shoulder), Patrick Williams PROBABLE (finger)
Denver Nuggets
- Jamal Murray
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Michael Porter Jr.
- Aaron Gordon
- Nikola Jokic
Injury Report: Nikola Jokic PROBABLE (back), Jamal Murray PROBABLE (quad), Christian Braun PROBABLE (shin)
Odds
The Bulls come into tonight’s game as +10 point underdogs against the Nuggets at FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook and +9.5 underdogs DraftKings Sportsbook. Click on either link to sign up and pick the Bulls to cover (… or pick the opposite …)!
What to Watch For
- I can’t think of a worse matchup for the Chicago Bulls on the backend of a back-to-back. The Denver Nuggets are an example of elite basketball in the NBA right now, and they’ve started the year red hot after winning the title with a 5-1 start. Nikola Jokic remains the best player in the league, and he has the ability to pick apart any defense with his combination of high-IQ playmaking and efficient shotmaking. The Bulls can’t expect to take him out of the game. Instead, what their defense has to do, is stay locked into the supporting cast and do their best not to get beaten off the ball.
- Believe it or not, the Bulls did beat the Nuggets in March of last season. How did they do it? Well, by doing what they have to do to beat good teams. Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine had one of their best games ever as a trio. They combined for 71 points on 52.9 percent shooting and each finished as a +14 or higher on the night. Patrick Williams also added 18 points off the bench on a superb 8-9 shooting effort. If they want any chance at a victory tonight, it’s going to come down to those four players taking care of the basketball and attacking the rim.
- Indeed, if there is one way to keep up with this Nuggets squad, it’s to score in the restricted area. They have allowed 52.0 points in the paint per game in the NBA, which ranks bottom 10. The Bulls outscored them in this department a staggering 66-38 in their victory last season. They also aren’t the best transition defense, so trying to outrun this team should certainly be in the Bulls’ game plan tonight. Maybe they can take a few notes from the way Brooklyn attacked them in transition last night.
- More in here …