The Chicago Bulls (2-4) will face off against the Denver Nuggets (5-1) Saturday evening in the second night of a back-to-back set for both squads. The Bulls dropped a contest to the Nets Friday evening, while the Nuggets handed the Mavericks their first loss of the new season.
We won’t know the official injury report for both teams until later in the day. Zach LaVine is dealing with a back issue and has been listed as probable for most games. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were probable Friday with back and quad issues respectively. We’ll see if either star is rested for this encounter.
The Nuggets are 8.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total coming in at 216.5. Denver is -360 on the moneyline, while Chicago is +285.
Bulls vs. Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Nuggets -8.5
Denver was 8-4 ATS on the second night of back-to-back sets a year ago, while Chicago was 6-8-1 ATS in the same category. The Nuggets also have the edge as the home team here, with the altitude likely to play more of a factor against the Bulls. As long as Jokic is playing, the Nuggets are the pick to win and cover Saturday.
Over/Under: Over 216.5
These are two teams who haven’t scored the ball as well as expected to begin the year. The Bulls are 26th in points per game and 24th in offensive rating, while the Nuggets are 17th in points per game but seventh in offensive rating. Even on the second night of a back-to-back set for both squads, this is too low of a total to feel good about the under. Even though Chicago is 2-4 to the over and Denver is 1-5 to the over to begin the season, take both teams to top this number Saturday evening.