Chicago at Golden St.
Time: 9:30 PM CT, NBA LP
Spread: GSW -15.5
Total: 219.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Golden State Warriors have been remarkably beatable this season, but that could all change next team as the Warriors prepare to add another All-Star to its starting lineup in DeMarcus Cousins. For now, the 27-14 Warriors play host to the Chicago Bulls at 9:30 PM CT on NBA League Pass. The Dubs are 15.5 point favorites in the game, while the over/under is set at 219.5 points according to NBA oddsmakers at 5dimes.
GSW
Though Golden State has won its past two, the Warriors are not where it hoped it would be as this season has reached its midway point. With 27 wins, the Warriors are still on pace for a 50-win season, but this is a team just two seasons removed from the most winning season in NBA history. Where it has gone wrong is difficult to pinpoint, but chemistry issues, particularly those between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, seem at least partly to blame.
Injuries to Stephen Curry have also played their role in the Warriors. Whatever the reasons, the demise is mostly over-stated because this is a team still sitting No. 2 in the West on the verge of adding a perennial Allstar to its starting lineup. Whatever form Cousins may or may not be in, this is still a team with immense talent, and Cousins will not have to work hard to get his shots. After all, the Warriors will then be starting five All-Stars, even with whatever existing chemistry issues may or may not even exist.
Curry and Durant have still been outstanding this season, even if Green has maligned Durant for his attitude on multitudes of occasions. Curry is tallying 28.9 points per game and Durant is just b behind him at 28.4. Klay Thompson still has been cooking with his 21.6 points per game. Perhaps the biggest finger could be pointed at Green himself, whose defensive efforts have fallen off as his facilitation on offense has become just as dicey. Green averages under eight points per game and is good for “only” 6.8 assists per night.
His role as point-forward appears to be changing, as does this Warriors team, but it is unclear how deep those effects may run, as it is equally unclear whether Durant will re-sign with the team or head elsewhere due to the friction that has already been a problem. And therein lies the rub with dynasties: The only thing that can often derail them is internal issues, but yes, those have inevitably arisen in Golden State, and to see the Warriors trail the Nuggets in the standings is as odd as it was predictable. Ultimately, there is too much talent to question this team’s potential as a repeating Conference champion, but without some cohesion with its lineup and resolution of some defensive issues, the Warriors could be upset in the postseason. It will have done so, to itself, almost.
CHI
The Chicago Bulls are just 5-15 on the road where it takes on the league’s most dominant team tonight. Chicago has lost its past five games, and its last win came over a team just as desperate as it is (the Washington Wizards). The Bulls do have a few legitimate offensive stars but the defense has been a real issue for the team this year. Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Jabari Parker are the team’s top three scorers, but none are good defensive talents. Kris Dunn is, but he is almost on an island considering the team’s next best player – key reserve Bobby Portis, is neither playing nor a good defender.
The Bulls are giving up 110.2 points per game, which would not look so bad if this was not the worst offensive team in the league. Chicago averages just 100.7 per game, which ranks last in the Association, and expectedly, it ranks No. 27 in assists given that its top scorers are mostly isolation-playing talents. There is precious little chemistry and even less defense on this Bulls team, and it has won less than a quarter of its games, as a result.
