With a couple of stars sidelined due to injury, the Chicago Bulls rallied past the Los Angeles Clippers for a hard-fought 105-89 win Monday night. They head back to the road Thursday night when they take on the talented but inconsistent Sacramento Kings in a clash between two high-powered offenses.
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[sc:NBAArticles ]Chicago Bulls vs. Sacramento Kings Preview
Where: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento
When: Thursday, November 20, 10:30 PM ET
Line: Chicago Bulls (+2.5) at Sacramento Kings (-2.5); total 194.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol both out due to injuries? No problem. Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson did a swell job in covering for their star teammates in the Bulls’ win over the Clippers Monday night. Hinrich finished with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting (4 for 6 from the three-point line), five assists and three steals, while Gibson went 9 for 13 for 20 points to go along with five rebounds, six assists a steal and two blocks.
[sc:NBA240banner ]While Gibson may struggle to find his game against Sacramento against the dominating inside presence of the Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, Joakim Noah should be a solid defensive matchup for the Kings’ big man. Noah has averaged 11.4 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals over his past five games, and should be able to limit Cousins’ production.
Noah should brace for an increased work load Thursday night, though, as the Kings score most of their points in the paint (Sacramento scored 60 against New Orleans). Having tighter defense from the shaded area may prove to be beneficial for the Bulls as the Kings have struggled from three-point range shooting .298 this season for the second-worst mark in the league.
While the Bulls may find it difficult to score inside the paint without Gasol to matchup against Sacramento’s big men, they may enjoy some success from downtown as the Kings have allowed 7.7 three-point field goals per game. The Bulls are not short on three-point shooters with Hinrich (.395), Jimmy Butler (.370) and Mike Dunleavy (.404) all capable of scoring from beyond the arc.
All told, this is a Chicago team that has a lot of life beyond its top stars. For more on the question, check out our breakdown of the ways the Bulls can win a championship without Derrick Rose here.
The Bulls are 3-1 ATS in their last four games.
Betting on the Sacramento Kings
Another late collapse saw the Kings fall 106-100 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday despite entering the second half with a nine-point lead. They’ll need to be able to close out their games if they wish to be respected as a championship-caliber team.
It’s no secret that the Kings want to attack the basket. Their main weapon, DeMarcus Cousins, has been solid, shooting .512 from the field with an average of 20.6 points in his last five games. Cousins regularly finds himself in trouble, though, with 4.9 fouls per game this season. He’ll need to be more wary especially against the Bulls’ stout defender, Noah.
Rudy Gay gives the Kings another scoring threat with his dynamic wing play averaging 21.4 points per game this season. However, he has not reached the 20-point mark in back-to-back games. With Gay struggling to sink in his shots, the Kings will need more production from their backcourt of Darren Collison and Ben McLemore.
Collison recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists against New Orleans. He also went 2 for 3 on three-point attempts to give the Kings a viable threat from downtown. McLemore had also been a solid threat from the three-point line, shooting .483 in the five games prior to going 0-6 in the past two games.
If both Collison and McLemore click while Cousins and Gay threaten with their own scoring from inside the paint, then the Kings should be able to keep a short-handed Chicago side off balance to steal a win.
The Kings are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Bulls.
Writer’s Prediction
The Kings eke out a close win against the shorthanded Bulls. Create a betting account now and treat yourself to some daily basketball action.
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