NBA Betting Odds and Predictions: Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets

Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets
Monday, 4/22/13, 8:00 PM EST, TV: TNT
Opening Point Spread: Brooklyn -4.5
Current Betting Line: Brooklyn -4.5
Opening Total: 183
Current Total: 183
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Chicago Bulls are 7-5 ATS as road underdogs of 3.5 to 6 points

Chicago suffered a 106-89 setback to Brooklyn as 4.5-point road underdogs in Game 1 last Saturday, while going OVER the posted total of 181.5. “We’re catching a team that’s in rhythm and we’re going to have to re-establish ourselves,” commented Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. The Bulls were led by the play of power forward Carlos Boozer, who finished with 25 points and eight rebounds, but small forward Luol Deng finished with just six points. Chicago is 7-5 ATS as road underdogs of 3.5 to 6 points, with the OVER going 8-4 in that situation.

The Bulls are 33-29 all-time in Game 2’s in playoff history, but they’ve gone just 5-21 on the road in that situation. Chicago definitely knows it will be an uphill climb in trying to win this series, as the team that wins the first game of a best-of-seven series has won 341 of 438. During the regular season, the franchise went a combined 16-11 versus Eastern Conference playoff teams, including 3-1 versus Monday night’s opponent.

Brooklyn is playing some of its best basketball of the 2012-13 campaign, as it has won eight of 10 games in the month of April. The Nets got off to a great start in their first postseason appearance since 2007, as they played their first-ever playoff game in the Barclays Center. Point guard Deron Williams scored a team-high 22 points, while center Brook Lopez contributed 21 on 7 of 15 shooting from the floor. Brooklyn is 7-9 ATS as home favorites of 3.5 to 6 points, with the OVER going 11-6 in that situation.

The Nets haven’t won the first two games of a playoff series since 2004 when they swept the New York Knicks in the first round. Brooklyn’s 106 points were the most its scored in regulation in the postseason since 2004, as it finished with a plus-20 advantage in points in the paint. The team was 26-4 when scoring 100-plus points in a game this season, while it won 35 of 41 games when having a lead entering the fourth quarter.