NBA Playoff Betting – (2) Cavaliers at (3) Bulls (Game 6)
By Zack Garrison in News
Updated: January 17, 2018 at 9:39 am ESTPublished:
Cleveland Cavaliers (-1, 192.5 o/u) at Chicago Bulls
The Eastern Conference semifinal between the Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29, 22-19 Away) and the Chicago Bulls (50-32, 27-14 Home) has been as much fun as any playoff series this season, but Lebron James and company will try to put it to bed as they visit the United Center, in Chicago tonight for Game 6 (8:00 PM Eastern).
James put in a tremendous effort on a hobbled ankle in Game 5, recording 38 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in Cleveland’s 106-101 victory. The win put the Cavs on top for the first time in the series.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau realizes that, certain nights, there isn’t much you can do about stopping “King” James.
“Look, the guy’s a great player. You can defend a great player very well, and he can still make [shots],” Thibodeau said to the press on Wednesday. “We’ve got to challenge shots and try to make him work.”
The Bulls were led by small forward Jimmy Butler in the loss (29 points). Point guard Derrick Rose, who looked to be regaining his MVP form early in the series, has vanished over the last few games; Rose scored 12 of his 16 total points in the first quarter of Game 5 and then missed 13 of his final 15 attempts from the field.
“It’s all about getting this win on Thursday with the same group of guys we have,” added Butler, whose team is now on the brink of elimination. “I won’t say we’re desperate, but we know what we have to do. Take care of business at home and then get Game 7 on the road.”
The good news for Chicago is power forward Pau Gasol will be back in the lineup after missing the last two games in the series. Gasol (18.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG) gives the Bulls a huge edge down low, where the Cavaliers lack an elite big man to matchup with the seven-foot Spaniard.
The trends also provide some hope for Chicago. The Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall, and 0-5 ATS in their last five playoff games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5 points. The Bulls, meanwhile, are 5-1 ATS in their last six as an underdog and 5-1 ATS in their last six overall.
Pick: Bulls +1.
(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.)
Sports Writer
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
