Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors
Time: 10:35 PM ET, Feb 6, 2014
Spread: GSW -8.5
M/L: GSW -400; CHI +300
Total: 189
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Chicago Bulls snapped a two-game skid with a 101-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday (Feb 4) night to pull back to .500 on the season. It’s a small victory, but for Tom Thibodeau’s team each win seems that much bigger following the loss of Derrick Rose for the season and the trading of Luol Deng.
It’s left the Bulls short on scoring options, and it will be difficult for Chicago to keep pace with its opponent tonight, the high scoring Golden State Warriors. NBA oddsmakers at Bovada favor the home team Warriors by 8.5 points in the contest.
With Rose out for the season, Joakim Noah’s playmaking becomes of even bigger importance. Noah had just two assists in the win over Phoenix, but he also had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Noah is the heart and soul of this team sans Rose, but coach Thibodeau knows he must get more from Jimmy Butler and Carlos Boozer to remain competitive. Both answered that call against Phoenix, as Butler contributed 18 points and Booz scored 19.
Boozer is the leading scorer with Deng and Rose both not in the picture, and the veteran has averaged 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds this season.
D.J. Augustin has proven to be a nice addition for the Bulls, but he is on a one year contract and the tight situation with the cap dictates that the Bulls may not be able to bring him back next year. The 5’10” point guard has averaged 14 points and 5.9 assists per game, helping to keep this Bulls team competitive.
The Warriors had won two straight prior to Tuesday night’s loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Warriors lost by 16 points and had no answer for Al Jefferson on the blocks, as the the Bobcats center scored 30.
Stephen Curry had 17 points and 11 assists in the loss, but Curry was the only starter to shoot close to 50 percent from the floor. David Lee had an uncharacteristic 3-of-13 night from the floor, and that won’t happen often, never mind when squaring off against the likes of the Bobcats’ Josh McRoberts.
The Warriors are just 14-9 at Oracle Arena despite having the reputation of being one of the toughest venues to play in. Stephen Curry is making his first All-Star start this season and is averaging 24.3 points and 9.1 assists per game. Klay Thompson is an underrated defender and hot shooter as well, and he’s averaging 18.5 points per game. Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Bogut all add strong individual defensive elements to the Warriors, who are an underrated defensive squad, when pace-adjusted stats are taken into account.
CHI Trends: 4-0 ATS in last 4 road games vs teams with winning home records; 0-4 ATS in last 4 following ATS win; OVER 5-1 in last 6 road games vs teams with home winning percentages greater than .600
GSW Trends: UNDER 4-0 in last 4 when opponent scores 100 or more in previous game; 0-4 ATS in last 4 home games vs teams with losing road records; UNDER 5-0 in last 5 overall.
Head-to-head: UNDER 6-2 in last 8 meetings; Bulls 3-8 ATS in last 11 in Golden State.
