With Russell Westbrook back, the Oklahoma City Thunder resume their chase of the San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference’s best record when they pay Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls a visit. Later tonight, the Los Angeles Clippers take their act to the Mile High City in search of their 12th straight win against the Denver Nuggets.
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Chicago Bulls (8:00 PM EST)
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder (–2.5) at Chicago Bulls (+2.5); total 193.5
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
With or without Russell Westbrook, the Thunder could have put up a better fight against Dallas last night. Instead, Oklahoma City was beaten by the Mavericks, 86-109, ending the Thunder’s three-game homestand on a losing note. The loss also marked the Thunder’s first fail cover in three games. They were 7-point faves before the opening tipoff. Despite the loss, Kevin Durant extended his streak of scoring 25 points or more to 26 games after firing 30 points.
Westbrook (21.5 PPG, 7.1 APG) did not suit up last night in order to rest his knee but will be available to play against Chicago tonight. Westbrook was instrumental in Oklahoma City’s win against the Bulls when the two teams first met this season on December 19. He scored 20 points and added 10 assists to play the Robin to Durant’s Batman, who scored 32 points in that game. Oklahoma City is 4-0 SU in its last four games against the Bulls.
Betting on the Chicago Bulls
Joakim Noah has once again flirted with a triple-double in the Bulls’ 94-87 win over Sacramento on Saturday. Noah did everything in his power to beat the Kings, scoring 23 points, grabbing 11 boards, and adding eight assists to lead the Bulls to their second win in a row and third in the last four games. The Bulls defeated Miami on Saturday, and then lost to San Antonio before defeating Houston and Sacramento, in same order.
Noah’s aggressiveness has rubbed off on his teammates, especially on defense. The Bulls have now overtaken Indiana as the league’s no. 1 team on defense with 92.2 points allowed per game. In their last 10 games, the Bulls have kept opponents down to just 90.5 PPG. The Bulls had the no. 3 scoring team in the NBA when they defeated the Rockets 111-87 on March 13.
Prediction – Bulls Win
Without Thabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder are going to be abused inside by Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Dallas already set the tone by hanging 40 points inside the point against the Thunder last night.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets (10:30 PM EST)
Line: Los Angeles Clippers (-5.5) at Denver Nuggets (+5.5); total 221.0
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
[sc:NBA240banner ]No one would have guessed the Clippers are missing some of their key players simply by looking at their impressive 11-0 SU record. Los Angeles is coming off a 102-80 drubbing of the Cavaliers last night in which seven Clippers scored in double-figures, led by Blake Griffin, who had a near triple-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
Among the players the Clippers could be missing tonight are Jamal Crawford (calf) and Darren Collison (virus). The team is already bucking the absence of J.J. Redick (hip) and another injury could be too much for the Clippers to keep their winning streak alive. Despite scoring 107.7 PPG – no. 1 in the NBA –, the Clippers are 5-0 UNDER in their last five games.
Betting on the Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets failed to record their third win in a row after coming short against Atlanta, 97-92, as 5.5-point road underdogs. Prior to that game, Denver picked up two road victories against Orlando and Miami. Though they lost to Atlanta, the Nuggets improved to 3-0 ATS in their last three games.
After a five-game road trip, the Nuggets return to Mile High City to face the Clippers, who have lost their last three visits at Pepsi Center. In the two team’s last meeting, Randy Foye drilled a game-winning three at the buzzer to deliver his team a 116-115 home win. Though he’s not bailing out his team with buzzer beaters, Kenneth Faried has been keeping the Nuggets afloat with his admirable performances recently. Faried put up 22.4 PPG in the last five games, a 10-point improvement compared to his season average of 12.5 PPG.
Prediction – Over
Denver has been one of the worst teams in limiting opponents scoring, opting to put more efforts on their offense. Both teams will have a field day draining shots tonight. Take the over and enjoy the game’s highlights.
