Free NBA Picks Today: Denver Nuggets vs Chicago Bulls 3/8/23

The Chicago Bulls (29-36, 11-21 Away) will try to slow down one of the league’s top scoring teams when they travel to face the Denver Nuggets (46-19, 30-4 Home) on Wednesday.

Chicago was narrowly beaten by the Indiana Pacers 125-122 at United Center on Sunday. Zach LaVine led the way in the losing effort with 42 points. The Bulls are the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Denver won their fourth in a row on Monday at Ball Arena, beating the Toronto Raptors 118-113. Jamal Murray had 24 points to lead the team. The Nuggets are the first seed in the Western Conference, 6.5 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.

This marks the final meeting of the season between the teams. Denver will be pursuing a season sweep against Chicago after taking the only prior meeting 126-103 at United Center in November 2022.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nuggets with 31 points. LaVine had 21 points in the losing effort. DeMar DeRozan and LaVine, averaging 25.1 and 24.7 points per game, respectively, have led the Bulls in scoring this season.

DeRozan also has dished 5.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic is grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game. Nikola Jokic has been the primary provider for the Nuggets on offense, averaging 24.4 points per game.

Jokic has also tallied 11.8 rebounds and 10.0 assists per game, for which he ranks third and fourth in the NBA, respectively.

The Nuggets rank as one of the top scoring offenses in the league, fifth-best with 117.2 points per game. The Bulls are only 1-9 in their last 10 games at Ball Arena. Denver is seeking a ninth successive win at home this season.

In the last 10 games, Chicago is 3-7 with an average margin of +0.3 (106.7-106.4). For the season, the Bulls are averaging 113.0 points per game, compared to 112.7 for opponents.

Denver has gone 8-2 over the last 10, scoring 116.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 110.4 (+5.6 margin).

BULLS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Ayo Dosunmu: 9.0 | 15.0 | -6.0
Points per game:
Ayo Dosunmu: 5.4 | 9.2 | -3.8
Rebounds per game:
Zach LaVine: 2.4 | 4.7 | -2.3

NUGGETS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Thomas Bryant: 9.2 | 17.7 | -8.5
Points per game:
Aaron Gordon: 12.3 | 16.9 | -4.7