Thunder vs Bulls NBA Spread/Handicapping
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a healthy roster to start the season, but their results have been up and down following the trade that sent James Harden to the Houston Rockets. The Chicago Bulls are without NBA megastar Derrick Rose—and will be for quite some time—yet they’ve started off the year on the right foot.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) @ Chicago Bulls (3-1)
Thursday, November 8, 2012 on TNT
United Center, CHIACGO, IL.
8:00 PM ET
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Bulls -2.5 from GTBets.eu
O/U: OFF
Matchup | Preview | Check Out Ray’s NBA Plays!
Both teams are looking to prove that they can succeed with new faces in the backcourt, and both teams face off on TNT Thursday night.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma Thunder haven’t been bad by any means to start the season, but they’ve clearly been trying to figure out what their new rotation is going to look like. The team is averaging about five less points than they were last season, and their shooting percentage is down as well.
**CLICK HERE TO GRAB OUR BEST Picks for 2012 NBA Betting!**
They don’t feel like the same team that won the Western Conference in 2012, but then again, they are still as dangerous as anyone with the talent they have on the roster.
The Thunder are coming off a 20-point victory over the Toronto Raptors, and at this juncture, they have three players averaging near, or above, 20 points per game. Newly acquired Kevin Martin is averaging 19.3 points in 28.3 minutes off the bench, while Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are each putting in 20.8 points per contest.
The most impressive thing about the two stars is that they’re getting things done in areas other than just scoring. Westbrook has his assists back up to seven per game, while Durant is averaging an outstanding 12.3 rebounds.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have been decent on offense this season, as they’re averaging 97.3 points per game, and they have four starters and one reserve averaging double-digits. Joakim Noah is leading the team in points (16.0). [ad-6571516]
Although that’s far different than years past, it shows that the team can adjust to a new game plan without Rose in the lineup. Luol Deng is right behind him with 15.8 points per game.
Where this team is going to succeed without their star point guard is on the defensive end. They’re allowing just 88.8 points to opponents, and they have two players—Noah and Taj Gibson—averaging 2.5 blocks per game. The Bulls allow their opponents to shoot just 41.1 percent from the field, but unfortunately for them, their opponent come Thursday is right there with them giving up just 41.2 percent.
The tale of this contest is going to be about two squads who are middle-of-the-road offensively at this point, but are both in the top six defensively. Chicago may have the second-best scoring defense in the NBA, but OKC is right behind them at sixth. The Thunder average 8.3 blocks per game (4th), while the Bulls average 6.8 (9th).
When it comes down it, the Bulls have been better this season, but they’ve yet to face a team of OKC’s stardom. Nobody on Chicago’s schedule to this point will likely make the playoffs—with the exception of maybe Cleveland—and nobody they’ve faced will challenge them defensively the way the Thunder will come Thursday. If the Bulls can play defense the way they have this season, Oklahoma City won’t run away with it. However, if Durant, Westbrook and Martin surprise Chicago with their ability to score at will, this game will belong to the Thunder from start to finish.
Trends
Thunder are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game, and are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 Thursday games. Bulls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games, and are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 vs. Western Conference. Thunder are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Chicago.
Score Prediction: Oklahoma City 95 – Chicago 87
