On Martin Luther King Day, the Golden State Warriors sent a message to the rest of the league that they are still the undoubted favorites – +150 favorites, to be exact – to win this year’s NBA Finals trophy by routing the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers on their own home court.
[sc:NBA250 ]Another statement victory is in the books for the Warriors, but can they keep it up this Wednesday by coming away with a rare win at the United Center against the Chicago Bulls? Let’s take a closer look at this marquee matchup below.
Then, head on over to our previews for Utah vs. New York and Atlanta vs. Portland to be on top of the other equally intriguing NBA games up ahead.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Golden State Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls Preview
Where: United Center, Chicago
When: Wednesday, January 20, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors (-6.5) at Chicago Bulls (+6.5); total: 214.0 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (38-4)
[sc:NBA240banner ]Entering Monday night’s blockbuster matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA fans around the world were expecting another epic showdown between last year’s finalists and two best teams in the league right now.
Instead, the Warriors flexed their proverbial muscle once more and massacred the Cavs by a score of 132-98. They shot 54.1 percent from the floor against the team with NBA’s second-best defense (not anymore), and even drained a massive 19 of 40 shots from beyond the arc. Oh, and the Dubs even led by as much as 43(!) in this game.
Stephen Curry went out of his mind again to lead the charge for Golden State, scoring 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go with seven 3-pointers. Draymond Green almost had another triple-double too, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. With the team’s top two stars playing at this superb rate, it’s pretty much same to assume that the Warriors’ past couple of unexpected losses are well behind them.
Yet, the Dubs still have to be careful with the gritty Bulls ahead. Although they won the first meeting in Oakland, 106-94, back in November 20, let’s not forget that Chicago was also one of only two teams last regular season that managed to beat them in Oakland.
However, this Wednesday’s match is in Chicago, where Golden State has not had as much success as they would’ve wanted (more on that later). Luckily, the team still has a respectable 5-2 record (SU/ATS) over their last seven games away from Oracle Arena.
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Betting on the Chicago Bulls (24-16)
After being held to just 77 points in a loss to the Dallas last Friday, the Chicago Bulls bounced back nicely on Monday by defeating the Detroit Pistons on the road, 111-101.
Chicago’s often-suspect offense was alive and well during that win as five players scored in double-digits, led by Pau Gasol’s 31 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Derrick Rose also added 20 points of his own behind an efficient 9-of-17 shooting night.
This Wednesday, though, the Bulls will likely run their offense mostly through Jimmy Butler, their leading representative at this year’s All-Star Game. Butler had 16 points and nine assists against Detroit, but will definitely need to do more that against Golden State. He had a much more superior line of 28-9-7 in November’s loss to the Warriors.
Working against Chicago, however, is the loss of Joakim Noah (shoulder), who has been an integral part of the team’s rebounding prowess. The Bulls are still the best rebounding team in the NBA right now (48.8 boards per game), but will be tested even more in this category moving forward with the loss of Noah likely for the remainder of the season. Then again, they are surprisingly playing better without their beloved big man in the lineup, winning nine of 11 contests this season without Noah’s services.
It’s a good thing that Wednesday’s meeting with the Warriors will be held at the United Center, where the Bulls have won 11 of their past 13 meetings (9-3-1 ATS) against Golden State. The total has also gone over on just four occasions during that span, but Chicago’s defense of late dictates that the game will be a barnburner indeed. The team has allowed an average of 105.8 points per game to their opposition over the last six contests.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bulls fail to contain the Dubs’ firepower, as Golden State comes away with an easy 104-88 victory.
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