Denver at Chicago

Houston and Dallas is too easy. They were in a seven game series a few years back, they play each other four times a year, both teams are winners. They may not do much winning in May, these days, but you can count on a good game. Veteran savvy. All that noise. Not too much noise.

I'm more interested in Denver's visit to Chicago. Just about every year, at this time, it's Chicago visiting Denver, ready to get spanked. Absolutely dismantled.

Then, over the last two Februaries, the Nuggies have gone out to Chicago directly after the trade deadline to watch a new-look Bulls, post-trade deadline, tear them apart. The home team has won the last six games of this pairing.

Now things have been flipped around. No new trades, Denver takes in Chicago in the fall, not the other way around, with both teams missing their starting power forwards. Tyrus Thomas(notes) and Kenyon Martin(notes) are out.

I'd say that both teams were missing their starting shooting guards, but John Salmons(notes) has actually hit 15 of his last 29 shots after starting the season shooting 25.8 percent, and I'm not so sure that J.R. Earl Smith III Esq. would be starting at this point for Denver. George Karl must really like Anthony Carter's(notes) tattoos.

The contest is on NBA TV, which some of you get, and we wouldn't mind it if you commented away on the six-game night down below.

Chicago Bulls: 4-2, 91.1 possessions per game (24^th-fastest in the NBA), 97.2 points scored per 100 possessions (27^th in the NBA), 101.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (8^th).

Denver Nuggets: 5-2, 95.7 possessions per game (seventh), 114.2 points scored per 100 possessions (third), 109 points allowed per 100 possessions (21^st).

Related: Tyrus Thomas, John Salmons, Kenyon Martin, Anthony Carter, Denver Nuggets, Game to pay attention to