Denver Nuggets at Chicago Bulls Predictions 12/6/21

When: Monday December 06 2021, 08:00 PM (ET)

Where: United Center: Chicago, Illinois

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Point Spread: DEN 4.0/CHI -4.0 (Opened at CHI -4 at Bovada – Have you seen their live betting platform? It’s AWESOME!)

Total: 214.0 (Opened at 214)

Money Line: Denver 155/Chicago -180)

Power Rating: CHI -2

Probable Starting Lineups

Nuggets: PG Monte Morris , SG Will Barton, SF Jeff Green, PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic

Bulls: PG Lonzo Ball, SG Zach Lavine, SF DeMar Derozan, PF Troy Brown Jr., C Nikola Vucevic

Key Injuries

Nuggets
Bol Bol: illness (OUT) PJ Dozier: knee (OUT) Nah’Shon Hyland: illness (OUT) Jamal Murray: knee (OUT) Michael Porter Jr.: back (OUT) Austin Rivers: illness (OUT)

Bulls
Alex Caruso: hamstring (QUESTIONABLE) Javonte Green: illness (OUT) Coby White: illness (OUT) Patrick Williams: wrist (QUESTIONABLE)

Recent Form

The Denver Nuggets enter today’s game, having won 3 of their past ten games. When playing away from home, the Nuggets have played at a below .500 rate, having gone 4-7. As the road team, Denver travels to Chicago with a negative plus-minus of rating -4.5 points. Overall, the Nuggets are ranked 15th among NBA teams in point differential (3.7). Among NBA teams, they have played the 4th toughest schedule.

For bettors, taking the Denver Nuggets to cover the spread has been a losing bet as they cover the spread in 40.90%% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is 0.4.

On offense, the team’s leading scorer is center Nikola Jokic. So far, Jokic is averaging 26.06 points per game. This output places him 1st among centers. Jokic is also Denver’s best rebounder, pulling down 13.59 rebounds. The Nuggets’ best three-point shooter has been Will Barton, connecting on 2.5 shots from downtown per game.

The Chicago Bulls enter today’s game, having won 3 straight games.
In their past ten contests, the Bulls have played at an above .500 rate, going 6-4. As they get set to host the Nuggets, Chicago has a positive home plus-minus of 4.3 points. Overall the Bulls are ranked 4th among NBA teams in point differential (-0.9). So far, they have played the 12th hardest schedule.

For bettors, taking the Denver Nuggets to cover the spread has been a winning bet as they are covering in 66.70% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is 2.6.

On offense, the team’s leading scorer is SG DeMar DeRozan. So far, DeRozan is averaging 26.38 points per game. Chicago’s top three-point shooter has been Lonzo Ball, connecting on 2.96 shots from downtown per game. Zach LaVine has been in charge of cleaning up the glass, hauling in 5.38 boards per game.

An Eye On Pace

A key aspect to this game will be which team can play at their normal tempo? So far, the Bulls are 14th in the NBA in pace, averaging 98.7 possessions per contest. Thus far, they have opted to work the ball inside, ranking 29th in three-point shot attempts. On the other side, Denver is ranked 28th in pace, averaging just 95 possessions. For the Nuggets, these fewer opportunities show up in their two-point attempts, as they rank 26 among NBA teams.

Key Matchups

Even though Denver has the 3rd ranked scoring defense, I expect Chicago could have a good night scoring the ball as the Nuggets have struggled to slow down opponents inside. So far, the team is 29th in opponent’s 2-point field goal percentage. Look for Denver to struggle against the 10th ranked Chicago defense. On the year, the Bulls are giving up 105.2 points per game.

The Historicals

Tonight’s game will be the second meeting of the season between these two teams. In the first matchup, Chicago came away with the win by a score of 114-108.

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How the Public is Betting the Spurs vs. Warriors

82% are betting the Hawks against the spread.

79% are wagering on the game to go under the posted total of 214.

Betting Trends Worth Noting

• Nuggets are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 Monday games.
• Nuggets are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog.
• Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
• Bulls are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games as a favorite.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

With Chicago coming into this game as the 4 point favorites, I expect them to pull out the win and cover the spread. Even with Denver having the reigning MVP, look for their offense to struggle to keep up with the Bulls. After Jokic, the team’s second-leading scorer is Will Barton, at just 15.9 points per game. On the other side, Chicago has at least three players capable of reaching 20 points on a nightly basis, with Lonzo Ball serving as the primary distributor.

Prop Bets Worth Wagering

Even though Chicago has more scoring options, I recommend taking Nikola Jokic to go over his player prop scoring total. So far, Jokic has been a mainstay on the injury report. However, it appears he will be coming into this game healthy. Given that he is Denver’s main source of scoring, look for the big man to have a big night. Question: Did you know that you could be betting on games at -105 odds instead of -110? Pencil it out! You’d had saved HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of dollars over the past year if you had betting wagering on games at reduced odds! Click here to start saving BIG bucks TODAY!