Chicago Bulls (10-5) vs. Denver Nuggets (9-6)
November 19, 2021 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Denver Nuggets -3.5; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Chicago Bulls travel to the Ball Arena to take on the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
The Chicago Bulls have been in decent shape as they’ve won four of their past six games, but they will be hoping to bounce back in this one after falling just short to the Trailblazers in a 112-107 road loss on Wednesday. Zach LaVine led the team with 30 points on 11 of 20 shooting, DeMar DeRozan added 22 points with five assists and two blocks, Lonzo Ball scored 17 points while Alex Caruso tallied 12 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists. As a team, the Bulls shot 47 percent from the field and 13 of 29 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in full control, pouring in 63 points in the first half to lead by as many as 20 points, before getting run down in the second half as they scored just two points in the final 1:59 to allow the Trailblazers to steal the game late. Caruso played well in the starting lineup, but it really hurt their depth as the Bulls’ bench combined for just 20 points.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have been in mediocre form as they’ve won five of their past nine games, but they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting routed by the shorthanded 76ers in a 103-89 home loss last night. Nikola Jokic led the team with 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Will Barton added 19 points with nine rebounds and eight assists while Monte Morris chipped in with 11 points and four assists but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Nugget shot just 36 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they rode the hot hand of Jokic to hang around in the first half, before a cold shooting stretch cost them in the third quarter where they managed just 17 points to fall behind by 22 points. Austin Rivers finished with just five points on two of eight shooting off the bench while Jeff Green finished scoreless in 20 minutes of action.
Looking at the betting trends, the Bulls are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games playing on one days’ rest, 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games against a team with a home record above .600 and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games overall. The Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games, 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against a team above .600 and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
Head to head, the over is 21-7 in the last 28 meetings overall, the Bulls are 3-10 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Denver and the Bulls are 3-9 ATS in the last 12 meetings overall.
The Bulls will be disappointed with their loss to the Trailblazers after blowing a 20-point lead on Wednesday, so I expect them to come out firing in this one. Jokic has been in terrific form personally as he poured in 27 points in the first half last night, but he’s going to need more support from the role players if they want to get the win here. The Bulls have the advantage of extra rest as the Nuggets played just last night, so I’m taking the points in this one as it could go right down to the wire.
