Tip off: 10:35 PM EST
Spread: CHI -1.5
Total: 192.5
M/L: CHI -125, LAC +105
The Bulls won 62 games last season and have begun this season 2-1, but will ultimately face a very tough test in the 1-1 much improved Clippers squad. In a game that will have even most East coast residents staying up till 2 AM, the Bulls and Clippers will square off tonight, as Derrick Rose tries to take it to Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.
The Bulls defeated the Kings by 10 last night, behind 16 pionts from both Boozer and Hamilton, and 19 from MVP point guard Derrick Rose. The Bulls did give up 39 to the Kings starting backcourt of Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans, but the Kings do have a lot of talent there at the guard positions, too, so perhaps that is excuseable.
That won’t, however, help matters against the Clippers, who feature the dual point guard backcourt of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups. Billups seems to more than have adapted to his role as a shot chucking shooting guard, something he practiced with two summers ago with team USA. Billups is not gun shy and Hamilton is going to have to work as hard defensively fighting around screens as he does running defenders off of them on offense.
Chicago Bulls Betting Trends:
The Bulls are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games and are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games, as well. The Bulls are 17-8 SU in their last 25 games and are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 on the road. The Bulls are 16-6 SU in their last 22 road games and the total has gone OVER in 4 of the last 6 against the Clippers. The Bulls are 6-16 SU in their last 22 against the Clippers and they are 4-2 SU in their last 6 on the road against the Clippers.
Los Angeles Clippers Betting Trends:
The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and the total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 6 games. The Clippers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 and are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 at home. The Clips are 4-1 SU in their last 5 at home and the total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 6 against the Bulls. The Clippers are 16-6 SU in their last 22 against Chicago and they are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games at home against the Bulls. The Clippers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 at home against Chicago.
Key Matchup:
Derrick Rose vs. Chris Paul
This is the kind of matchup people pay to see. While Paul is clearly more of a pass first point guard, he is capable of scoring 20+ points per game, just as Rose is. That clearly won’t be his role with high scorers flanking the wings and filling the post on the Clippers team, but Rose will carry the load for the Bulls. While Rose does have Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng, not to mention Rip Hamilton, to defer to offensively, he still will be jacking up a lot of shots and taking all of the end of quarter/end of game shots. Paul is a bit undersized for Rose, but will make up for it with his tenacity and understanding of how to use what size he does have. Though Rose is 3″ taller than CP3, it should only make a small difference in allowing Rose to get off jumpers a little easier.
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