NBA Betting – Saturday Picks – Indiana Pacers vs Chicago Bulls
Before nba betting fans turn their attention to more basketball betting events this week, we have some more good NBA Playoff gambling matchups to pick on tap, and our man Lawrence weighs in with his picks for game 1 of the Knicks vs. Celtics. It’s time for our weekly Playoff hoops picks for NBA gambling action.
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PACERS vs. BULLS
Time: Saturday 1 p.m. EST
Venue: United Center, Chicago
Spread: Bulls -11.5
Over/Under: 188.5
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First off, props to the Pacers. They had the courage to dump a decent coach, Jim O’Brien, in mid-season, they never gave up and now they get a chance to extend their season a week and get on national television for a change. Danny Granger has an opportunity to show his game to fans beyond the Rust Belt.
But if this isn’t a sweep, the Pacers will go down in no more than 5, and chances to win will be relegated to games played in the state of Indiana. When the best four players in a series all play for one team, and when the MVP of the league is one of them, your opponent has some serious problems.
All the arrows in this series are indeed pointing toward the Bulls, who at 62-20 finished with the best record in the NBA this season and appeared primed for their first extended playoff run since the Jordan Era a decade and a half ago. And in Game 1 the United Center will be alive, so it will take a superhuman effort by the Pacers just to keep things reasonable.
Indiana’s Danny Granger has made some noise about the Bulls not being all that good after Rose, and that the Pacers will pinch the high-scoring (25 ppg) point guard whenever possible. And while it’s true teams don’t have much time to game-plan during the regular season, Rose is good enough to beat double-teams and the supporting cast is good enough to score against a defense that collapses on him.
There is some concern about the play of Bulls center Joakim Noah, who hasn’t exactly lit it up since returning from a sprained ankle. Even without Noah at 100 percent, though, the Bulls shouldn’t have a problem in Game 1.
NBA Trends:
IND are 3-8-2 ATS in their last 13 vs. NBA Central.
Under is 8-3 in IND last 11 road games.
Under is 8-3 in IND last 11 Sat. games.
Under is 12-5 in CHI last 17 vs. NBA Central.
IND are 2-7 ATS in the last 9 meetings.
BEST BET: Somewhere in an office at the United Center Tom Thibodeau has pulled a Bill Belichick, breaking down game film and figuring out a way to wrap duct tape around Danny Granger’s game. The line (11.5) is steep, but Bulls should be off and running in this one, with a comfortable cover.
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling expert from Massachusetts.
One reply on “Pacers vs. Bulls Free NBA Game 1 Pick | Gambling Preview”
Bulls in 4. The Bulls have been playing great. However, we all know the play-offs are much different then the regular season. I don’t pick the Bulls to come out of the east. In fact, i think the east is up for grabs, any of the top 4 teams have a shot.