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Gambling911.com has your Spurs vs. Bulls betting line for Monday night. San Antonio -4, Total:189.5
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (14-3) at CHICAGO BULLS (9-5)
The Spurs will be going for their twelfth win in 13 games when they face the Bulls in Chicago on Monday.
San Antonio will be heading into this contest after beating down on Atlanta, holding the team to just 42.4% shooting from the field in a 108-88 victory on Saturday. The Hawks had been averaging 106.4 PPG in their previous five games before running into Popovich’s Spurs and San Antonio will now look to shut down Chicago in this one.
The Bulls have lost two of their past three games after winning four straight. Chicago has failed to cover in four of its past six and has scored 100 points in just one of its past five contests. This team will need to be better offensively against the Spurs.
These two teams have played well against one another over the past three seasons, splitting victories both SU and ATS. Two of the four meetings in that span have gone Over the total, so there isn’t much to look out for in terms of head-to-head trends.
One thing worth noting for the Spurs is that the team is 24-13 ATS after covering two of their past three over the past two seasons. Another thing worth noting is that the Bulls are 23-6 Under when playing four or less games in 10 days over the past two seasons.
San Antonio is not dealing with any significant injuries heading into this game, but Chicago is without PG Aaron Brooks (Hamstring) and SF Mike Dunleavy (Back) indefinitely. PG Kirk Hinrich (Hip) is questionable for the Bulls as well.
San Antonio is the hottest team in basketball that isn’t playing in Golden State and the Spurs will be looking to win their sixth straight game on Monday. SF Kawhi Leonard (22.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 1.4 BPG) is playing the best basketball of his career for San Antonio and comes into this game averaging 23.2 PPG over the past five contests. He is shooting the ball at an extremely efficient clip, shooting 52.3% from the field and 49.2% from three on the season. San Antonio will look to get him going in his matchup with Jimmy Butler in this game.
C Tim Duncan (10.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.8 BPG) is coming off a monstrous performance against the Hawks, going for 10 points, 18 boards, four assists and two blocks in 28 minutes. He will need to be ready to play on Monday, as Chicago has a very good group of big men and the Spurs must match their toughness inside.
A big game from PF LaMarcus Aldridge (14.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG) would also help, but the prized acquisition for San Antonio is averaging just 13.0 PPG over the past three contests. He must be better in order for the Spurs to keep winning at such an impressive rate.
The Bulls come into this meeting with the Spurs after having lost two of three and they will need PG Derrick Rose (13.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.3 RPG) to start playing at a higher level. Rose has been shooting the ball horribly recently, going just 11-for-36 from the field over the past two games. Chicago needs him to start making shots, as he is at just 36.3% from the field and 21.4% from three on the season.
SG Jimmy Butler (20.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.1 SPG) has been putting this team on his back all season and he will need to take the challenge of defending Leonard on Monday. If he can hold his own in the matchup then the Bulls will have a good shot of coming away with a home victory.
C Pau Gasol (13.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG) will also need to have a big game for Chicago. He is averaging a double-double (11.4 PPG, 11.2 RPG) over the past five contests and should be able to find some success against Duncan in the post.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
