The Chicago Bulls will make the trip over to the Barclays Center for visit with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. The Bulls come to town having won four in a row and nine of their last 10 games, while the Nets have won two in a row and 18 of their last 26 games overall. [ad-4468020]
Chicago Bulls (33-26) at Brooklyn Nets (28-29)
Date: Monday, March 3, 2014
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Barclays Center
City: Brooklyn, New York
O/U Odds: 186
Spread: Brooklyn -3.5
More impressive than having won nine of their last 10 games is that Chicago’s lone loss in that span came against the Heat in Miami. Not surprisingly, the team’s second-ranked scoring defense has played a big role in carrying the team through the stretch, as the Bulls have allowed 88.8 points per game over their last 10. What is surprising is that the team’s offense has gotten into a bit of a groove. The team has scored 104.8 points per game over the course of its four-game winning streak.
The Chicago offense really kicked into high gear in the team’s outing on Sunday, a 109-90 win over the New York Knicks. No player put together a more impressive stat line than Joakim Noah in that game, recording 13 points, 14 assists, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Noah told reporters after the game that the ankle issue he’s been dealing with flared up during the game, but he’s still expected to suit up on Monday. The Bulls got some solid secondary scoring off the bench from backup point guard D.J. Augustin, who scored 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, knocking down four of five three-point attempts. New addition Jimmer Fredette also played three minutes in his debut with the Bulls, scoring two points and adding two rebounds.
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As for the Nets, they return home following their longest road trip of the season, a seven-game journey which saw the team win four of those seven games. The trip began in a familiar destination – Chicago, where the Nets fell 92-76. The Nets were held to 38.8 percent shooting from the floor in that one, and were outrebounded 45-27.
The Nets will hope for another boost of offense from new acquisition Marcus Thornton, who scored 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the team’s last game, a 107-98 win over Milwaukee. Thornton knocked down 4-of-7 three-point attempts in the game, giving the Nets some much needed offense in the absence of power forward Kevin Garnett.
Both teams enter red hot, but it’s the Bulls who have look like the more dominant squad of late. While Chicago gets this game on the second night of a back-to-back, the team has covered the spread in each of the last five times they’ve faced that situation.
The Bulls are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
The play: Chicago +3.5
