Tis indeed the season to be jolly as the NBA will be serving up five spectacular games on Christmas Day. One of those games includes an intriguing showdown between two of the top teams in the league at Chesapeake Energy Arena, wherein the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder collide for their final regular season matchup. Who will come out on top in this one?
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the better teams in the east this season, owning a respectable 15-11 win-loss record which is good for sixth place in their conference. But the Bulls have lost their step lately as they are currently on a three-game slide heading into their Christmas Day showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Making matter worse for them is that Joakim Noah will be out for approximately two weeks due to a left should sprain he suffered in Monday night’s 105-102 loss to Brooklyn. Well, one thing’s for certain that the Bulls won’t be receiving any pity or leniency from the Thunder even with Noah out of the picture.
That being said, Chicago will desperately need its backcourt duo in Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler to lead their attack from start to finish. Both can certainly do so as they are posting 13.5 PPG and 21.5 PPG respectively while shooting at a combined rate of 41.2 percent this year.
Other than those two, the Bulls can also rely on Pau Gasol, who already has 14 double-doubles under his name, for some offense and defense. The 35-year-old center is averaging 15.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.8 dimes per game while leading the team in the blocks department as well with 2.2.
Speaking of defense, the Bulls will have to worry about OKC’s All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who are both averaging almost 30 points a game this season. It’s a good thing that Chicago’s been pretty solid at the defensive end of the floor with just 99.5 points allowed per game.
Chicago is 4-6 SU and ATS in its previous 10 road games.
It was just last month when the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Chicago Bulls, 104-98. In that game, Derrick Rose provided a vintage performance of 29 points, five rebounds and six assist. The Thunder will surely be keeping this in mind when they play host to them for their highly-anticipated Christmas Day encounter.
Kevin Durant, who erupted for 33 points, six rebounds and five dimes in his last game opposite the Bulls, will look to replicate that kind of effort once more. He’s bound to succeed in doing so as the former league MVP loves to play against this team in particular, posting 26.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists through 14 career games.
Apart from Durant, OKC also has another superstar that they can rely on for some instant offense—Russell Westbrook. The 2014-15 scoring champion has been imposing his will almost every night with ridiculous averages of 25.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 9.4 assists. Westbrook also has three triple-double outings already this season.
As for the defense, the responsibility falls on Serge Ibaka to make sure to negate or disrupt any shots near the paint. Besides that, Ibaka, the fourth-leading shot-blocker (2.3 BPG) in the league, will also have to do his best in locking down the likes of Pau Gasol, who’s averaging 20.0 points and 12.6 boards in his last three outings.
OKC is 9-1 SU and 4-6 ATS in its past 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
OKC breaks away in the fourth quarter to capture the 101-90 win. Create a betting account now and put your NBA predictions to the test!
