Denver Nuggets at Chicago Bulls 10/7/22 - NBA Picks & Predictions

On Friday, the Denver Nuggets will continue their pre-season schedule with a visit to the Windy City, when playing against the Chicago Bulls. Back to back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic returns to lead Denver and the talented triple-double threat will be rejoined by Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr, who both missed all or most of last season. Both Murray and Porter Jr will see limited action during the preseason after rehabilitating from injuries.

Denver's starting five for this season is expected to begin with Jokic at center, who is considered one of the top five players in the league. Jamal Murray missed all of last season but is a proven scorer and will look to bounce back strong. Porter Jr is a talented shooter and along with Jokic and Murray could give Denver three players that average 20 points or more per game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who joined Denver during the offseason, is a strong perimeter defender while Aaron Gordon is also a strong defender and rebounder. 

Chicago finished last season second in the Central Division at 46-36 and reached the playoffs. Chicago was a big surprise for many in the NBA last year and led the Central Division for much of the first four months of the season. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LeVine are the top two scorers for Chicago, who were joined last season by Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams.

Injuries caused problems for Chicago late in the season. Limited shooting from three-point territory, poor defense against perimeter shooting and a lack of rebounding, with the exception of Vecevic, hurt the Bulls down the stretch. Chicago's starting five will include LaVine and DeRazon as the top scorers, Nikola Vecevic as the top rebounder and another proven scorer. Alex Caruso will be one of the starting guards and a tough defender, while Patrick Williams is expected to bounce back from injury.