PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* TOP TOTALS TICKET >> Had +7 Sacramento Last Night (Won 116-100!)
(NBA) Phoenix vs. Chicago,
Total: 217.50 | -107.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 217.50 | -107.00 Over
Result: Loss
The set-up: The 18-39 Phoenix Suns, owners of the West's worst record, return from the break to play on the road in Chicago and will face the 28-29 Bulls. Both teams made trade deadline moves but both team's decided to stick with their "core players."
Phoenix: The Suns sent forward P.J. Tucker to Toronto for forward Jared Sullinger and second-round draft picks in 2017 and 2018. Tucker was a top defender for Phoenix but scored very little (7.0 PPG in about 28-29 minutes), while Sullinger has been injured most of the season dealing with a foot injury that has only allowed him to appear in 11 games. The Suns have lost seven out of their last 10 games and will play out the string of the regular season with a dynamic young backcourt duo. Bledsoe had a triple-double (25-13-10) in the Suns' 137-101 rout of the Lakers right before the break and averages 21.6-4.9-6.2 on the season. The 20-year-old Booker is his backcourt partner and he averages 21.1 PPG on the season and scored at least 20 points in 20 of his last 22 games before the break!
Chicago: The Bulls are a tough team to figure. They own a 6-1 record against the Eastern Conference's top three teams, yet come out of the break one game under. 500 (No. 7 seed), just two games inside of the playoff 'cut line.' Chicago posted home wins over Toronto and Boston prior to the break but right before that, had lost three games by an average of 25.7 PPG on the road. Go figure? Jimmy Butler's (24.5-4.9-6.2) name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors but in the end he remains in Chicago. However, the Bulls dealt starting forward Taj Gibson and reserve swingman Doug McDermott to OKC for PG Cameron Payne, center Joffrey Lauvergne and swingman Anthony Morrow. The Bulls also sent a 2018 second-round pick to the Thunder to round out the deal. I don't see how this helps Chicago in the present. Gibson (11.6 & 7.0) was a respected member of the Bulls locker room and McDermott was the Bulls' best three-point shooter (37.3%).
The pick: The Suns are a poor defensive team (112.4 PPG allowed ranks 29th) but a "typical" Chicago home game averages between 204 and 205 points (17 of 28 Chicago home games have gone under). This over/under number in this contest opened more than 10 points higher than that, making the Under a 10* play.
Phoenix: The Suns sent forward P.J. Tucker to Toronto for forward Jared Sullinger and second-round draft picks in 2017 and 2018. Tucker was a top defender for Phoenix but scored very little (7.0 PPG in about 28-29 minutes), while Sullinger has been injured most of the season dealing with a foot injury that has only allowed him to appear in 11 games. The Suns have lost seven out of their last 10 games and will play out the string of the regular season with a dynamic young backcourt duo. Bledsoe had a triple-double (25-13-10) in the Suns' 137-101 rout of the Lakers right before the break and averages 21.6-4.9-6.2 on the season. The 20-year-old Booker is his backcourt partner and he averages 21.1 PPG on the season and scored at least 20 points in 20 of his last 22 games before the break!
Chicago: The Bulls are a tough team to figure. They own a 6-1 record against the Eastern Conference's top three teams, yet come out of the break one game under. 500 (No. 7 seed), just two games inside of the playoff 'cut line.' Chicago posted home wins over Toronto and Boston prior to the break but right before that, had lost three games by an average of 25.7 PPG on the road. Go figure? Jimmy Butler's (24.5-4.9-6.2) name was frequently mentioned in trade rumors but in the end he remains in Chicago. However, the Bulls dealt starting forward Taj Gibson and reserve swingman Doug McDermott to OKC for PG Cameron Payne, center Joffrey Lauvergne and swingman Anthony Morrow. The Bulls also sent a 2018 second-round pick to the Thunder to round out the deal. I don't see how this helps Chicago in the present. Gibson (11.6 & 7.0) was a respected member of the Bulls locker room and McDermott was the Bulls' best three-point shooter (37.3%).
The pick: The Suns are a poor defensive team (112.4 PPG allowed ranks 29th) but a "typical" Chicago home game averages between 204 and 205 points (17 of 28 Chicago home games have gone under). This over/under number in this contest opened more than 10 points higher than that, making the Under a 10* play.
