I’m back and while the NHL is on their all-star break I’m going to shift my picks from the ice to the hardwood floors of the NBA. Tonight I like the San Antonio Spurs-Chicago Bulls match-up.
San Antonio Spurs (27-16) @ Chicago Bulls (27-16)
Overview: The San Antonio Spurs have won 4 in a row and 6 of their last 7 games. On Tuesday they were victorious 109-99 at Denver. Forward Kawhi Leonard had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. He was 6 of 13 from the field in 31 minutes. Guard Tony Parker was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points. He was 8 of 16 from the field in 32 minutes. He also dished out 7 assists and had 4 rebounds. Forward Tim Duncan scored 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting in 29 minutes. He had 5 rebounds. The team shot 45.2% from the field, 40.7% from the 3 point line, and 81.5% from the free throw line. The team is 11th in the league in points per game with 102. They are 8th in the league in points allowed with 97.6. They are 11th in the league in rebounds per game with 43.8 per game. They are 6th in the league in assists per game with 24.6 per game. 4 of their last 5 wins have been by a margin of 10 or more points. They are 12-10 on the road this season. They have won their last 2 road games. They are 10-3 versus Eastern Conference opponents. Tonight is the 1st game of a back to back. They are 8-5 in the first game of a back to back so far this season. Tomorrow night they play at home versus the Lakers. San Antonio is currently in the 7th spot in the Western Conference playoffs race, a game and a half behind the Clippers for the 6th spot. The Chicago Bulls have dropped 6 of their last 8 games. On Monday they downed at Cleveland 105-94. Guard Jimmy Butler scored 20 points on 6 of 16 shooting in 40 minutes. He had 7 rebounds. He was 7 of 9 from the foul line. Guard Derrick Rose netted 18 points on 5 of 14 shooting in 30 minutes. He was 3 of 5 from the 3 point line. Guard Aaron Brooks chipped in with 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting in 19 minutes off the bench. Forward Pau Gasol had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards. Forward Taj Gibson also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The team shot 37.5% from the field, 50% from the 3 point line, and 81.3% from the free throw line. The team is 9th in the league in points per game with 102.1. They are 15th in the league in points allowed with 99.7. They are 6th in the league in rebounds per game with 45.3 per game. They are 13th in the league in assists per game with 21.7 per game. 4 of their last 7 losses have been by a margin of 14 or more points. They are 12-10 at home this season. They have lost 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5 home games. They are 9-6 versus Western Conference opponents. Tonight is the 1st game of a back to back. They are 8-4 in the first game of a back to back so far this season. Tomorrow night they play at Dallas. Chicago is currently in the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs race, a half game behind the Raptors for the 3rd seed.
Last season San Antonio and Chicago split their 2 meetings last season. After tonight the 2 teams play 1 more time this season, March 8th at San Antonio.
Prediction: Before the season these 2 teams looked to be contenders to meet in this year’s NBA Finals. Both teams are 11 games above .500 but they haven’t been as consistent as one would have originally thought they would be. The Spurs have had injuries but now look like the “real” Spurs and are getting on a roll. The Bulls have battled injuries this season as well but were 25-10 and now the wheels seem to have come off and as Derrick Rose said they aren’t on the same page. They’ll need to fix those issues if they want a long postseason run. I think the Bulls will be much more motivated tonight after Rose aired some of their grievances. This should be a close game. Play: Bulls +6 (Bet365)
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