NBA Playoff Betting – (6) Bucks at (3) Bulls (Game 2)

Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls (-7.5, o/u 188)

Game 1 between the Milwaukee Bucks (0-1, 0-1 road) and Chicago Bulls (1-0, 1-0 home) on Saturday saw former NBA MVP Derrick Rose make a triumphant return to the postseason. The oft-injured point guard will try to carry that momentum into Game 2 tonight at the United Center (8:00 PM Eastern).

Saturday’s tilt marked Rose’s first playoff game in three years, but his stat-line – 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting and seven assists – belies his long hiatus.

After the game, Joakim Noah talked about what a difference a healthy Rose makes to the team.

“I think we have a great opportunity,” said Noah to the team’s official website. “We just have to stay humble and hungry. Derrick played really well. It was so good to see him competing the way he competed.”

Meanwhile, Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd saw his young team’s nerves get the better of them in Game 1. Jerryd Bayless, one of the few playoff veterans on the squad, noted that Game 1 was “the first playoff game for a lot of people on this team … There were a lot of nerves and whatnot.” But he remained optimistic heading into tonight’s contest, adding “we got rid of it today and have a great opportunity on Monday.”

On the injury front, Bulls forward Taj Gibson is listed as day-to-day after suffering a minor strain to his right knee on Saturday; and Kirk Hinrich remains out with a knee injury and still has no timetable for return.

Turning to the trends, Chicago has won eight of the last ten against Milwaukee and has covered the spread in seven on those eight wins. Four of the last five games stayed under the game total.

Now that the Bucks have a game under their belt, look for their offense to be a little more potent tonight. With the O/U at a low 188, consider the over.

(Photo credit: Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Derrick Rose) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)