SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets stay Under 205½ in intense battle
Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets stay Under 205½ in intense battle
Game Time: Saturday, November 21, 2009
By: "Reload" Joe Freda | reload.mysbrforum.com
The Bulls and Nuggets combined to score only 179 points when they last met in Chicago, and each club has the ability to play very intense defense when they choose to. Take Under here.
Saturday’s NBA board has only one matchup where both teams have winning records and it features the Chicago Bulls visiting the Denver Nuggets in a rematch from two weeks ago.
The 6-5 Bulls are looking for revenge after a controversial 90-89 loss occurred in Chicago when the 8-4 Nuggets visited the United Center back on November 10. Each team also comes into tonight off of losses in LA with the Bulls being handed defeat on Thursday against the Lakers and the Nuggets getting shocked by the Clippers last night.
Look for each squad to regain some intensity and for tonight’s matchup to go under 205½ despite the altitude at Denver’s Pepsi Center.
When the Bulls and Nuggets met on November 10 in Chicago, it came down to the last shot as Chicago’s center Brad Miller fired up a jumper that went in but was taken off the board after being reviewed through replay. Home cooking at the United Center could not help the Bulls keep that decision from being overturned and tonight they get another shot at the Nuggets on the road in Denver.
The November 10 battle between the two squads had so much intensity that they both suffered losses in spots the following night with Denver being defeated in Milwaukee by the Bucks and the Bulls getting beat by the Raptors in Toronto. In tonight’s rematch, they are both coming into the game off of losses and that along with it being a revenge spot for the Bulls should bring the same kind of passion to the court despite this being an inter-conference matchup.
The Nuggets were upset by the LA Clippers last night 106-99 in a rare spot this season where Denver was held to under 100 points. They ran into a Clippers defense that has done well at times this season and it may not get any easier against the Bulls defense that Denver ran into two weeks ago holding them to only 90 points then.
Although the altitude in Denver can cause some higher scoring matchups to happen, the opponent that the Nuggets face can have a lot to do with how the tempo of a game will go there.
In the last home game of the Nuggets, it was the Toronto Raptors coming to town and their style will certainly generate some high scoring which resulted in the total going way over as the Nuggets won that shootout 130-112 this past Wednesday. Recent results like that have likely cause the total of 205 for tonight’s game to be set a little higher than it really should have been.
Even with the Nuggets having a less than stellar defense that has allowed an average of 102 points a game this season, their points allowed have gotten stingier when off a loss this season. A good example of this was their most recent loss before last night’s that occurred in Milwaukee. 108 points were allowed against the Bucks in that defeat but the Nuggets bounced back two nights later at home against the Lakers allowing only 79 points.
We could see the same effort tonight against the Bulls in trying to make up for an inexcuseable loss to the Clippers last night, as well as trying to prove their win in Chicago should not have come down to a replay erasing a final Bulls basket.
Chicago’s defense should contribute to this game going under not only due to this being a revenge spot, but also because it has been more consistent than most defense played in the league this season.
The Bulls have allowed an average of only 93 points a game making them fifth best in the league there and although some road games have resulted in more points than that being allowed, it has depended on the kind of spot faced. For example, 118 points were surrendered by the Bulls in Boston against the Celtics but this was a night after an impressive win at home against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Bulls defense comes into tonight giving up 108 points to the Lakers on Thursday and I look for them to come in much sharper against the Nuggets. With Pau Gasol making his season debut, it had to be difficult finding answer for a fully loaded Lakers squad. Having played the Nuggets already once this season should make this an easier matchup tonight, as well as getting Denver a little shabbier than usual with them having played the Clippers just yesterday.
Joakim Noah of the Bulls currently leads the NBA in rebounds with averaging over 12 per game so I would not look for many second chance scoring opportunities for the Nuggets tonight. He also has averaged two blocked shots per game and the Bulls had nine blocked shots total when meeting the Nuggets on November 10. Both teams also combined for 90 rebounds that night and forced a combined 31 turnovers.
The total in this game opened at 205 from several sportsbooks and at press time has creeped upward to 205-½. It could continue going higher as games in Denver will always get action on the over, but remember that 205 was the same closing total when these teams met in Chicago two weeks ago.
Normally when two teams meet and go way under the total as what happened in that matchup, bookmakers should be adjusting the number lower in their next matchup. But it is being left at 205 which should mean some value here.
Although I feel this game could come down to the final buzzer like the last time these two teams met, I feel going with the under has more of an advantage than taking 8-½ points with the Bulls. Especially with the Nuggets coming in off a loss last night, they could be dangerous at home tonight and there is no telling what would happen with the margin of victory even with a revenge-minded Bulls team coming into town.
In order for the Bulls to cover, I feel the game would have to go under the 205 total anyway and that betting the under gives more of a safeguard than taking the points.
The Bulls can have a disappointing night of shooting at any point during the annual “circus” road trip that they go on no matter what defense is on the court. So concentrating on the total looked best to me and I suggest keeping an eye out for the best number using a line service like SBRodds.com since the total could keep going higher.
Tune into WGN for this matchup and cheer for missed buckets taking the under 205½.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by SportsTerminator
