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Carrie Stroup here with your Nuggets Bulls line for March 26, 2012. Chicago was an 8 point favorite against the traveling Nuggets Monday night. You can find all the latest NBA lines here at Sportsbook.com, which was offering up to $250 in FREE CASH when you join today (*restrictions do apply – see site for details).
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Chicago -8 & 199
Opening Line & Total: Bulls -8.5 & 199.5
The Nuggets continue their long road trip with a stop in Chicago on Monday night.
Both teams are missing their best scoring threats as Denver’s Danilo Gallinari (15.2 PPG) remains out with a broken thumb and reigning MVP Derrick Rose (22.8 PPG) will miss his seventh straight game for the Bulls with a groin injury. The current seven-game road trip has not started well for Denver, which has gone 0-2 (SU and ATS), allowing a hefty 119.0 PPG. The Nuggets haven’t done a great job recovering quickly, as they are 0-7 ATS in their past seven games with zero days rest. The Bulls have learned how to win without Rose, going 12-4 SU with their star point guard sidelined this season. Chicago is also 8-1 ATS in the past nine games against teams with winning records and 14-5 ATS (74%) when favored by 6.5 to 10.5 points this season.
Denver is playing its third game in four days, starting the road trip with a 121-102 loss in Utah on Friday and a 117-100 defeat at Minnesota on Sunday. The Nuggets have now allowed at least 112 in each of their past four contests (116.3 PPG allowed), and they have surrendered an NBA-high 104.6 PPG on the road this season. But the offense has put up 105.3 PPG on the road (tops in the league) as nine players average at least 9.5 points per game. PG Ty Lawson (15.1 PPG, 6.7 APG) was the team’s leading scorer for the season after pumping in 25 points on Wednesday, but he has just 9.5 PPG on 7-of-22 shooting on the road trip thus far. C JaVale McGee (11.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG) has played pretty well in three games with his new team, averaging 13.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in just 25.7 MPG. He had 13 points and 11 boards in the loss to the Wolves. SG Arron Afflalo (13.9 PPG) was suspended for Sunday’s game but he will return on Monday. Afflalo has 19.0 PPG on 53% FG (6-of-13 threes) over his past four games, so his return will give a big boost to Denver.
Chicago continues to punish teams at home, going 20-4 SU (12-12 ATS) and allowing a mere 88.2 PPG on 41.9% FG to its visitors. The Bulls have lost three of their past four meetings with Denver, but have prevailed in four of the past five matchups in Chicago. The Bulls are coming off a 102-101 overtime squeaker at home versus 12½-point underdog Toronto on Saturday. SF Luol Deng (15.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG) hit a follow-up bucket at the buzzer to win it. Deng has 20.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG in the past two games, but he has shot below 42% FG in each of his past seven contests, making just 35-of-104 FG (33.7%) during this shooting slump. PF Carlos Boozer (15.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG) also had a double-double in Saturday’s win (24 points, 10 rebounds) and is averaging 17.8 PPG and 9.2 RPG in his past five games. PG C.J. Watson (10.5 PPG, 3.7 APG) has shot pretty well as Rose’s replacement in the past six games (13.3 PPG), scoring 10+ points in five of those contests. But he has just 17 assists and 17 turnovers in this span.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
