The Chicago Bulls kept pace with the Toronto Raptors in the battle for third place in the Eastern Conference with an impressive seven-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. They will look to extend their winning streak to three games when they take on the Brooklyn Nets who are locked in a mad scramble for the final playoff spot in the East.
Who will emerge victorious in this pivotal showdown? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of tonight’s game and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Portland vs. Oklahoma City here.
Look out! Derrick Rose is starting to look like his old self once again.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Rose was spectacular in his third game back since returning from a meniscectomy, putting up 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds in Chicago’s 114-107 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night. It was Rose’s first home game in about 1 ½ months and he certainly looked ready to contribute for Chicago’s upcoming playoff run.
Saturday’s contest was just the fourth time in Rose’s career that he had at least 20 points, five assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers. Rose has been a vital cog to Chicago’s success this season, averaging 18.1 points and a team-best 5.0 assists per game.
Rose will look to continue his good form when the Bulls take on the Nets later tonight. He has fared extremely well against the Nets this season, averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games against them. He will fancy his chances of wreaking havoc against a Brooklyn defense that is allowing 100.9 PPG this season, 19th in the entire league.
With the season winding down, the Bulls’ injury woes are finally easing up with Jimmy Butler returning to the starting lineup against the 76ers. Butler played 36 minutes and scored 15 points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. Butler is an integral part of the Bulls’ offense, leading the team in scoring with 20.0 PPG this season.
The Bulls are 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Brooklyn’s postseason hopes took a huge hit on Sunday as the Nets suffered a stinging 96-73 loss to the playoff-bound Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets are now tied for eighth with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings with two games remaining in their schedule. Brooklyn’s magic number remains at two, however, as it owns the tiebreaker against Indiana.
The Nets had a miserable shooting night against the Bucks, nailing just 32 percent of their field goal attempts. That’s way below their season average of 45.2 percent. The Nets will need to execute a whole lot better against the Bulls if they are to pull off the victory tonight.
The onus is on Brook Lopez to set the tone offensively for the Nets. Even though he recorded his 17th double-double of the season against the Bucks, Lopez was far from impressive, scoring just 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Prior to this outing, Lopez was averaging 26.2 points and 9.6 boards in his last 13 games.
The Nets need Lopez to be more aggressive underneath the basket against Chicago. It won’t be that easy, though, as the Bulls are 11th in the NBA in points allowed inside the paint, conceding just 40.8 PPG inside the shaded area.
Lopez will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing the Bulls, however, as he sizzled against them in their last meeting on December 30. Lopez had 29 points, five rebounds and two blocks in that 96-82 win. What propelled the Nets to that victory, however, was their excellent defense on Derrick Rose.
They limited the superstar to just four points on a woeful 2-of-15 shooting from the field. If they can put the clamps on Rose once again later tonight, the Nets have a great chance of grabbing the much-needed win.
The Nets are 7-3 SU and 5-3-2 ATS in their last 10 home games.
