Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards
Time: 8:05 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: WAS -1
Total: 195
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards met in the playoffs last year, and the result was a Wizards team that shocked the NBA with its strong play, defeating a highly competitive Tom Thibodeau coached team to move to the second round.
This season, however, the 25-11 Chicago Bulls have a healthy Derrick Rose back in the fold.
Those who remember the classic Bulls vs. Boston Celtics playoff series know what this means. However, in Washington the Wizards are 15-4, and even with a 14-4 road record, Chicago is one-point underdogs in the contest.
The Bulls have the NBA’s ninth scoring offense, but it really hasn’t been Derrick Rose who has carried the largest role. Jimmy Butler turned down a $10 million per year contract extension on the idea that he could perform well enough to be paid even more.
He’s won that gamble.
Butler has already won NBA Player of the Week twice while putting up offensive numbers not seen in a defensive stopper since Sidney Moncrief with the Milwaukee Bucks. Butler is averaging 21.7 points per game while playing roughly 40 minutes a night, and he does a little bit of everything. He dishes out 3.2 assists per game, grabs six boards and forces miscues, averaging 2.34 blocks/steals per game. It’s clear he’s in for a payday this summer.
Pau Gasol has completely revived his career with a proper role in an offense that utilizes, rather than minimizes (see: Mike D’Antoni effect), his talents. He’s revived his play even back to his days with the Memphis Grizzlies, attacking the boards for over 11 rebounds per game, while averaging 21.6 points and shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and knocking down 3.9 free throws a game at an 83 percent clip.
Rose has not been absent either. He’s played 26 games thus far and averaged 16.8 points per game in just 28 minutes of play. His PER is roughly average, but he’s gradually showing signs of his formerly dominant self. The eye test is the biggest indicator at this point; not the numbers. Rose is not able to explosively dart through passing lanes, nor does he have the elevation to make big plays at the rim defensively. Over his last five games, he is shooting just 25.8 percent from the floor and was 3-of-15 Jan. 7 against the Utah Jazz.
Even so, the youngest MVP in NBA history has shown enough promise that the Bulls know they now have two players capable of closing games out on the perimeter. Dumping it into Pau Gasol only furthers the options.
Washington meanwhile has been the spectacle of a John Wall show. The former Kentucky Wildcat is finally showing everyone just how good he is when he plays to his true ability. Wall averages 17.2 points and 10.3 assists per game, while continuing to wreak havoc defensively—he comes up with 2.71 blocks/steals per game. Wall has been efficient and good, averaging 2.8 assists per turnover and leading a strong Wizards offense that features six players averaging double-figures in scoring.
Bradley Beal has effectively filled the niche the Wizards hoped he would. He’s knocking down 46 percent from three-point range while taking over four per game. Beal is hitting just 40.7 percent from two-point range, mostly an indication of settling for long two-point field goals.
The Wizards count themselves fortunate to have Paul Pierce and Marcin Gortat as tertiary and quaternary options within the offense. Gortat has continually show himself to be one of the best pick and roll players in the Association, both offensively and defensively. He knocks down 52.3 percent from the field and averages the second most shot attempts of any Wizard, 10.0 per game. Pierce, now in his true twilight years, still hits 45.5 percent from the floor while averaging 12 points per game in 26 minutes.
The Wizards have the depth to give Chicago problems in this game. The Wizards top ten players all receive 18 minutes or more per game, and each brings an important part to the team’s success. Even Andre Miller, who plays just 12 minutes per game, helps set the tone for a controlled successful offense while Wall rests.
Washington is a very tough team to beat at home, and the Wiz should be able to cover the one-point spread and win this one by four to six points. The total should be ‘over,’ while set at 195. Between these teams, the Wizards average 99.8 points per game and Chicago puts up 102.4. Even with strong defenses, the offense prevails there for a 198-200 point total in this affair.
