Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Chicago Bulls (-2)
Game Total Line: (181)
(wagering lines available at Sportsbook.com)

It’s been a slightly rocky road for the Bulls, who needed six games to finish off the Atlanta Hawks in the previous round. They’ve also dealt with injuries to star point guard Derrick Rose, and there’s no question Rose will be the center of attention in this series—even more so than normal.

Rose was noticeably quiet during last summer’s free agency period, when everyone was courting LeBron James. Rose chose not to lavish James with praise, as many believe he wants to win a title on his own. Now he gets a chance to prove he can do it, and he’s doing a great job so far. The explosive guard is averaging 28.8 points, 8.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game during the postseason.

Of course, he’ll need at least some help from his teammates, and that could come from anywhere on the Bulls roster. Luol Deng is second in playoff scoring at 16.7 points per game, but Chicago would really like Carlos Boozer to up his game. Boozer—the man Chicago wound up signing in free agency—is putting up just 11.8 points per game during the playoffs.

At the end of the day, though, Rose is expected to score while the rest of the team does the dirty work. Chicago is the second-best rebounding team in the NBA (both playoffs and regular season) and one of its best defensive clubs.

The defensive scheme won’t be that complicated against Miami—there are only three players you have to worry about stopping. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have lived up to the hype during the playoffs.

Or at least James and Wade have. Both have been threats across the board; James is averaging 26.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, while Wade is putting up 26.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

Bosh has shrunk at times, leaving some to question whether he really deserves to be a card-carrying member of the Big Three or if it’s really just the Big Two. Bosh is averaging 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and he’s disappeared from some games. In the series against Boston, for example, Bosh scored 14 or fewer points three times—including two games where he failed to score double-digit points.

Chicago and Miami faced off three times during the regular season. Chicago won and covered all three times. The total went under in two of those match ups. Beted.com has set the total for Sunday’s battle at 181 points.

Point Spread Pick

The Bulls are healthy unlike the Celtics and will shut down the Heat tonight.
Take the Chicago -2 at SIA and grab a free $125 to bet on NBA games!!