With back-to-back road victories over the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls want the Eastern Conference and the NBA to know they are for real.
The Bulls will go for their fourth win in a row as they welcome the defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to the Windy City. The Nuggets look much better with The Joker back in the lineup but can they cover as 3.5-point road underdogs in this matchup?
Find out in our free NBA betting picks and predictions for Nuggets vs. Bulls on December 6.
Nuggets vs Bulls odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Bulls opened this matchup as 4-point home favorites and were bumped up to 4.5 before Nuggets money dropped the line to 3.5 as of Monday afternoon. The total hit the board at 214 and the Over has been hammered jumping the O/U as high as 217.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Nuggets vs Bulls predictions
Predictions made on 12/6/2021 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Nuggets vs Bulls game info
• Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Date: Monday, December 6, 2021
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCS Chicago, Altitude Sports
Nuggets vs Bulls betting preview
Injuries
Nuggets: Jamal Murray PG (Out), Michael Porter Jr. SF (Out), Austin Rivers SG (Out).
Bulls: DeMar DeRozan SF (Out), Coby White PG (Out), Alex Caruso SG (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 7-0 in the Nuggets' last seven games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Bulls.
Nuggets vs Bulls picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
Nikola Jokic missed four games at the end of November with a wrist injury and the Nuggets promptly lost all four games. But with the Joker back, Denver snapped its losing streak and has won two of three which includes road wins over the Heat and Knicks.
But the Bulls and their rampaging offense present another tough challenge. Led by DeMar DeRozan (out tonight) and Zach LaVine, the Bulls have one of the best offenses in the NBA. Chicago ranks eighth in offensive rating and fifth in the NBA in true shooting percentage.
Tonight, they will go against a Denver defense that ranks 16th in defensive rating and 25th in opponent field goal percentage.
But it’s the Bulls' effort on the defensive end of the floor that makes this team complete. Despite guys like DeRozan and LaVine logging big minutes, (not traditionally known as great defenders) the Bulls rank seventh in defensive rating.
Now, Jokic is a difficult assignment for anyone and he appears to be healthy, averaging 24.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists since returning from his wrist injury, but the Bulls have a Nikola of their own who can at least battle with the Joker, in Nikola Vucevic.
With Vucevic there to hassle Jokic, and the Bulls having more options to score, Chicago looks like a good bet as short home favorites in this one.
Prediction: Bulls -3.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Over has been bet up three points since opening and it’s not hard to see why.
The Bulls' offense has been great this season but it has really been humming recently. Chicago is averaging 117.2 points per game over the last six games and now faces a Nuggets team that has cashed the Over seven games in a row.
That includes games with or without Jokic and the simplest explanation is this. With Jokic on the floor, the offense is good enough to send games Over, and with him off the floor, the defense is bad enough to do the same. In the three games since Jokic has returned to the Nuggets lineup, Denver has averaged 112 points per game, up from its season average of 104.
Both teams should be able to find enough rhythm on offense in this one to send this game Over.
Prediction: Over 217 (-110)
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