Chicago Bulls vs Denver Nuggets: Bulls are clicking right now

In this game, the Denver Nuggets host the Chicago Bulls in an inter-conference match-up. Denver has lost the last two encounters but still has three more wins than losses. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls are in prime touch, bagging double wins than losses. To have a brief overview, head to the “Notes” section.

Elite defense: In terms of defense, the Nuggets are among the top two to three teams, limiting opponents to under 100 or around that mark in most games. Will Barton and Aaron Gordon are athletic players who can hold their own on the defensive end. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic is a solid presence in the middle. On the offensive side, the Nuggets are playing at one of the slowest paces. The pace is mostly slow because the team usually first sets up Nikola Jokic in the post and then runs the offense through him. The offense has struggled with just two assertive scorers in Will Barton and Jokic.

Depth has been challenged: The Denver Nuggets are not that deep with Jamal Murray missing time and now Michael Porter’s back injury forcing him out too. Monte Morris is a decent shooter but doesn’t have the same scoring tools as Jamal Murray. On the other hand, Aaron Gordon is not an assertive scorer at the big-Forward and the Nuggets do seem to be clutching pearls at the offensive end many times. Can Austin Rivers step up his game a bit?

Authenticity at both ends: Offensively, Bulls doesn’t have much trouble putting up points, scoring in the range of 105-115 points mostly. Chicago presents two scorers in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine who can put up 50+ points in tandem during most nights. Lonzo Ball is an amazing deep-range shooter. Alex Caruso provides superb defense and is clinching steals at a record-breaking pace. All in all, with two isolation scorers and a reliable shooter, the Bulls can rain down points and also hold the fort on the defensive end.

A long way away from home: Bulls are on a five-game Western Conference road trip and they have done being so long away from home. The team has won two and lost two so far on the trip and one of the losses came against the dominant Warriors. This will be the last game on the long away trip and the next two games will be at home. The Bulls will hope to close out the Away leg on a win and they do stand a big chance versus Nikola Jokic and co.

Here are some quick hitters related to the game:

• The Bulls allow around 103 points per game which is among the top seven teams in terms of defense. Teams are shooting a lowly 32% from three against them.
• Denver Nuggets have scored 101 and 89 points in the last two games.
• DeRozan and LaVine have led the team in points during all the games, sharing the load.
• Alex Caruso has averaged more than 2 steals per game this season.
• Nuggets have held teams to 93-103 points in most of the games.
• Nuggets are 7-2 at home.
• Chicago Bulls are 5-3 away from home and 2-2 during the current road trip having played only Western Conference teams lately.
• Bulls’ point differential of +5.1 is among the top six teams in the league.
• Chicago Bulls are third-worst in the league in terms of rebounds, clinching just around 43 per game.
• Nuggets average around 16 free throws per game, which is the worst number in the league so far.
• Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are both a long way away from returning.
• Nicola Vucevic is still a week away from returning. Meanwhile, Patrick Williams will probably be returning next year now.

Nuggets have an amazing home record but they will be tested by a sturdy Bulls outfit. The Bulls have done a wonderful job at both ends of the floor and have more scoring options in the starting lineup than the Nuggets. Both teams are depleted in many ways and their benches are being challenged in one way more than the other. We pick the Bulls to finish 3-2 on their current road trip and notch another win.

• Win: Chicago Bulls for 2.65;
• Total O 212 for 1.90;
• Total 2 Over 104.5 for 2.00.