The Denver Nuggets play host to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in a crucial showdown from Ball Arena. The Bulls continue to struggle coming into this one, carrying a two-game losing streak in as they hit the road. For the Nuggets, they're trying to extend their own four-game winning streak and keep pace with those around them atop the Western Conference. In the first meeting between the two, the Nuggets won by 23 points, and they'll be expecting a similar response as they shift to being the home team for the rematch.
Chicago might be one of the most talented teams in the Eastern Conference but they've struggled to put together much success, especially of late. They are right on the cusp of the playoff picture and need to start seeing that talent translate into wins. Coming into Wednesday night, they've lost two in a row, which is even more surprising considering both of those games were at home. Overall, they've only won three of their last ten games and with an 11-21 road record, it'll be asking a lot of this group to flip a switch and suddenly find some road success. The schedule eases up the rest of the week and weekend and if Chicago can find a way to spring the upset in this one, it could a long way toward the season shifting.
Chicago continues to navigate a pair of injuries as well, which hasn't helped matters. Lonzo Ball (knee) has missed the entire season, with no anticipation of him making a return at some point, and his ball handling and scoring have certainly been missed. In addition, Javonte Green (knee) expects to be out for the rest of the month, which only furthers depletes their depth.
Did you know?: Zach LaVine ranks third among guards in the NBA in at-the-rim finishing since December 1st (67.6%).
?? | @rob_schaef's https://t.co/rFOXT3cUdR debut:
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 7, 2023
Chicago's struggles are even more confusing when breaking down where they stand statistically. They rank fifth in the league in field-goal percentage and 16th in three-point percentage, while their defense ranks top ten in the NBA in a number of categories. Opponents have slowed the game down for them though, which has caused their offense to stall at times. The more pressing concern for the Bulls in this one is how they'll handle themselves on the glass. They're one of the league's worst offensive-rebounding teams, which doesn't seem destined to change in this matchup. Demar DeRozan (25.1 ppg) and Zach LaVine (24.7 ppg) form one of the league's best-scoring duos but with only three players averaging over 15.0 ppg, the lack of depth continues to set them back on a nightly basis.
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