APR 17 - Chicago Vs Boston NBA Winning Favorites

Chicago Vs Boston NBA Winning Favorites

Written by on April 17, 2017

Despite playing in an emotion-filled TD Garden arena that was fueled by a team-related tragedy on Saturday, the Boston Celtics ended up on the wrong end of a heartbreaking 106-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their first round Eastern Conference playoff series. Now, with a bit of desperation surrounding the top-seeded title hopefuls, let’s find out if the Celtics can avoid another upset in Game 2 to either get the outright win or ATS cover. Find the latest NBA betting odds here.

Here’s A Closer Look At The Chicago Bulls Vs Boston Celtics NBA Winning Favorites

When: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 8:00 PM ET Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts TV: TNT Live Stream: Watch NBA NBA Odds: Boston -8 / Total: 207.5

The Celtics are 6.5-point home favorites to beat the Bulls in Game 2 when it gets underway on Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 8:00 PM ET, live from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts while airing live on TNT.

Why Bet The Chicago Bulls Odds at +8

After watching the Bulls (42-41 SU, 43-40 ATS) beat the Celtics on Sunday, there are a handful of great reasons to back Chicago in Game 2. First and foremost, the Bulls have two outstanding finishers in Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade that basically can’t be stopped in late-game, one-on-one situations. Butler scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to help the Bulls get the upset.

“We were so locked in all week,” said Butler, who added nine rebounds in the win. “We knew their stuff just like they knew ours, but we executed extremely well. We haven’t done that all season, but this is the right time to do it. Everybody stepped up and did what was asked of them.”

Not only that, but the Bulls are the far better rebounding team and completely owned the C’s on the glass by pulling down a whopping 20 offensive rebounds in the win while out-rebounding Boston 65-44. Backup forward Bobby Portis had 19 points and 9 rebounds while veteran center Robin Lopez added 14 points and 11 boards.

“It’s something we’ve done a pretty solid job of all season long,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “The big thing is crashing the glass, but you can’t jeopardize your transition defense because these guys will make you pay if they get behind you.”

Why Bet The Boston Celtics Odds at -8

The best reason to back Boston (53-30 SU, 40-41 ATS) in Game 2 is that they’ll be completely desperate after dropping Game 1 despite getting a game-high 33 points from all-star point guard Isaiah Thomas.

Boston’s feisty floor leader played in Game 1 just one day after his younger sister, Chyna, was killed in a car crash in Washington State. Thomas played through tears with “RIP Lil Sis” written on his shoes in tribute of his younger sibling.

“He was incredible. He’s an amazing player and an amazing person,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “The days won’t get easier for him, but he somehow plays like that.”

Outside of Thomas, Boston got double-digit scoring from just two players as big man Al Horford scored 19 points and shooting guard Avery Bradley added 14 points. Unfortunately, Horford was limited to just seven rebounds while Bradley shot an uninspiring 5-for-13 from the field. No Celtics grabbed more than the eight rebounds that small forward Jae Crowder hauled in.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

The Boston Celtics may have won more games than any other Eastern Conference title contender this season, but right now, the C’s look like they’re in serious trouble against a Chicago Bulls team that is far better and more active in the paint and on the glass and just as good, if not better in the backcourt with their trio of Butler, Wade and former Celtics guard Rajon Rondo all bringing something positive to the table.

The Celtics don’t look like they have an answer for Bobby Portis and Robin Lopez up front and I wouldn’t go around expecting Horford, Amir Johnson or Kelly Olynyk to turn into the next Dennis Rodman on the glass either.

Chicago is 6-0 ATS in their last six road games against a team with a winning home record, 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games.

Conversely, the Celtics are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against their Eastern Conference counterparts, 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall and a dismal 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games.

I picked the Bulls to cover in game 1 and I like them to get another ATS win at the very least in Game 2 – if not the outright road win again.

My final score prediction is Boston 101 Chicago 99