The Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder are no strangers to the spotlight of playing on Christmas Day. The second game of the five-pack of hoops treats for the holidays will pit these two against each other in what might end up being the best game of the day.
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SCHEDULING
The Bulls are going to get some extra rest for this one, and they probably need it. They've lost three straight games and really have never seemed to recover from the four-overtime loss to Detroit at home on December 18. At least these three days off in a row before Christmas will give Fred Hoiberg a chance to hit the reset button just a bit while giving some tired legs a chance to get healthy.
Oklahoma City has had to get used to life in Tinseltown. The Thunder played on Monday at the Staples Center against the Clippers, and they're still in LA to take on the Lakers on Wednesday. The short trip home to take on Chicago shouldn't be a drag, especially knowing that it starts a long home stand for a team which has been much better for bettors at home (8-8 ATS) than on the road (4-8 ATS).
INJURIES
The Thunder are taking care of business this year because they've stayed relatively healthy. There are no issues with Kevin Durant after he missed most of the year last season with a foot problem, and that's keeping OKC going for sure.
Chicago is going to have to figure out how to replace Joakim Noah in the lineup. Noah hurt his shoulder on Tuesday against Brooklyn and is expected to miss at least a couple weeks because of it. Pau Gasol could be asked to play huge minutes, but even so, we have no idea what's next in the paint for the Bulls. Bobby Portis could be asked to play a real role for the first time in his career here on a big time stage.
KEY MATCHUP
The Bulls actually have the swingmen in Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic to at least body with Kevin Durant, and they have the good guard play with Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose to counter Russell Westbrook.
What Chicago doesn't have though, is someone to contend with Serge Ibaka. We really wonder how Gasol is going cover the glass all by himself in this game. The guards are going to have to rebound the basketball, something that's going to be tough against an Oklahoma City team which often has three players who are at least 6-foot-9 on the court at the same time. If the Bulls aren't shooting lights out, the Thunder should have a huge edge on the glass.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Chicago is going to keep this game closer than the experts think. Rose hasn't been in great form of late, but Butler has, and that's certainly notable. Doug McDermott could draw Durant away from the basket as a three-point shooter, and if the Bulls go really small, they should ultimately force Billy Donovan to make a decision as to whether or not he wants to keep Ibaka at power forward or slide him over to center.
The Thunder could always get a superhuman effort from both Durant and Westbrook, and if that turns out to be the case, they're going to beat most teams they take on night in and night out. However, if both are merely very good as opposed to elite forces, the Bulls can win this game in the Sooner State. Either way, we want the points in a game we feel could come right down to the last minute, if not the last possession.
Chicago 101, Oklahoma City 100
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