NBA Betting News and Notes Saturday, May 4

Bulls-Nets, Game 7
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

The first Game 7 to take place in the postseason happens at the Barclays Center on Saturday night. The Bulls were cruising along by owning a 3-1 series advantage after rallying past the Nets in last Saturday's epic Game 4 triple-overtime triumph. One week later, Brooklyn is ready to throw the knock-out punch after grabbing the previous two games to even things up at 3-3.

The Bulls are playing at a sick pace, literally. Luol Deng sat out Thursday's 95-92 home setback as one-point underdogs with symptoms of meningitis, one of several Chicago players that were under the weather. Nate Robinson wasn't 100% either, as the Bulls' electric guard scored 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while Marco Belinelli unexpectedly led Chicago with 22 points in place of the injured Kirk Hinrich. Deng didn't make the trip to Brooklyn, while Hinrich tries to return for Game 7 after missing two games with a calf injury.

The Nets scorched the Bulls' defense in the opening half of Game 6 by dropping 60 points. However, Brooklyn's offense slowed up in the final 24 minutes by scoring only 35 points, while the Bulls had a late opportunity to tie the game with a three-pointer in the waning seconds. 'Over' bettors had to sweat out the final minutes after a 114-point first half on a 183½ total. The two teams combined to score just 32 points in the third quarter, while the 'over' cashed with 25 seconds remaining on a Nazr Mohammed layup.

Now, the page turns to Saturday's pivotal Game 7, just the second for the Nets since their move from the ABA in 1976. The Nets dropped their only Game 7 appearance to the Pistons in the 2004 Eastern Conference semifinals, ending New Jersey's two-year run as conference champions.

The Bulls are playing in their 10th Game 7, with four of these decisive contests coming prior to 1989. The last time Chicago faced this situation, the Bulls lost in the opening round at Boston in 2009, but Derrick Rose was in the lineup. The former MVP has yet to suit up for a game this season following an ACL tear in the playoff opener last April, while his status is doubtful for Saturday's Game 7.

Last postseason, four Game 7's took place, as the home team won three times. In the first round, the Lakers held off the Nuggets at Staples Center, while the Clippers were the lone road team to capture a victory at Memphis. The Celtics were on both sides of the Game 7 drama by beating the 76ers in the second round, but Boston was bounced in the conference finals at Miami. Since 2010, favorites have covered five of seven times in the decisive Game 7.

The Bulls own a solid 15-2 SU record off a home loss this season, including a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS record in the underdog role. The Nets have won six of nine home games off a road victory this season, but one of those losses came to the Bulls in early April as a 5½-point favorite. However, Brooklyn returned to the Barclays Center playing with no rest coming off an eight-game road trip.

Brooklyn is listed as 6½-point favorites, but that number is slowly moving up to seven at some books. The total is set at 181 ½, as the game can be seen nationally on TNT at 8:05 PM EST.

Bulls vs. Nets, Game 7: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com

Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets (-6.5, 181.5)

Best-of-seven series tied 3-3

The Brooklyn Nets attempt to become the ninth team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit and win a postseason series when they host the Chicago Bulls in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series. Chicago looked to be in good shape after its epic triple-overtime victory in Game 4 but the Nets bounced back with two solid efforts, including a 95-92 win on Thursday in Game 6 in Chicago.

The big mystery is who will be healthy enough to play for the Bulls in the series finale. Forward Luol Deng missed Game 6 with an illness and it remains unclear whether he will suit up Saturday. Point guard Kirk Hinrich (calf) missed the last two games and is a game-time decision. Guard Nate Robinson and forward Taj Gibson are battling illnesses and forward Joakim Noah has been plagued for weeks with a foot injury. Meanwhile, former MVP Derrick Rose continues to sit out due to his personal concerns about his knee despite being medically cleared by the club. Brooklyn center Brook Lopez has experienced a superb series and his 17 points in Game 6 represented the first time he didn’t score at least 20. He is averaging 22.5 points.

ABOUT THE BULLS: Game 4 star Nate Robinson was so ill during Game 6 that he vomited on the bench during timeouts on multiple occasions. Robinson persevered to play nearly 42 minutes and had 18 points, second-most on the squad behind Marco Belinelli’s 22. Robinson has averaged 24 points over the past three games and has stepped up with Hinrich ailing. Forward Carlos Boozer is averaging 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds and has four double-doubles in the series. Noah has three double-doubles while being physically hampered. “This has been a hard year, a really hard year,” Noah said after Game 6. “But I’m really proud of this team. We’re a team of fighters.”

ABOUT THE NETS: Brooklyn viewed itself as the more-talented squad when the series began and that remains the prevailing belief entering Game 7. “We feel like we’re the better team,” forward Gerald Wallace said. “We feel like we shouldn’t have gotten down 3-1. We feel like just as they won three games in a row, we can win three games in a row.” Point guard Deron Williams has put together three consecutive double-doubles after struggling in Games 2 and 3. Williams is averaging 20 points and 8.7 assists in the series. Shooting guard Joe Johnson is averaging 16.3 points despite playing with a painful foot injury.

TRENDS

* Bulls are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games.
* The over is 6-1 in Bulls last seven on one days rest.
* Over is 4-1 in Nets' last five home games.
* Over is 19-7 in Nets' last 26 overall.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Bulls are 0-6 when playing a Game 7 on the road while Brooklyn has never overcome a 3-1 playoff series deficit.

2. Nets F Reggie Evans had 15 rebounds in Game 6 and is averaging 12.2 boards in the series.

3. Chicago F Jimmy Butler played all 48 minutes in Game 6 and is averaging 17 points over the last three games.

Saturday's NBA Game 7
By Sportsbook.ag

CHICAGO BULLS (48-40) at BROOKLYN NETS (52-36)

After stealing a Game 6 win at United Center, the Nets will try to complete a their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit on Saturday night when they host the Bulls for a decisive Game 7.

Brooklyn is 4-2 ATS so far in this series, but was a poor home wager in the regular season at 16-23-2 ATS (41%). Chicago was a much better wager on the road at 23-17-1 ATS (58%) during the regular season, compared to a dismal 13-28 ATS (32%) at home. In Thursday's Game 6, Bulls SF Luol Deng was too ill to play after suffering from flu-like symptoms, and watched his team shoot a dismal 40% from the floor. The Nets didn't shoot much better (43% FG), but PG Deron Williams set the tone for Brooklyn, playing 42 minutes and finishing the game with an efficient 17 points (5-of-12 FG) and 11 assists. Game 7 is going to be a hard-fought battle between these two teams, and Deng's presence (listed as questionable) could give Chicago an extra lift emotionally. The Bulls are 21-17-1 ATS (55%) after an SU loss this season, while the Nets are 26-23-2 ATS (53%) after an SU win.

The Bulls put forth a stellar effort in Game 6, but came up empty-handed in the end. Without SF Luol Deng (13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG in series), SG Marco Belinelli started in his place and had an excellent performance for Chicago. Belinelli finished with a game-high 22 points (8-of-21 FG, 3-of-9 threes), seven assists and five rebounds in 46 minutes. PG Nate Robinson also played another great game for the Bulls, scoring 18 points (7-of-15 FG) in 42 minutes while also dishing out four assists. The 5-foot-9 Robinson now has 24.0 PPG on 53% FG with 5.3 APG in his past three contests. C Joakim Noah, who has looked a lot better since returning from a foot injury, was struggling shooting the ball around the rim (7-of-16 FG), but he did contribute plenty, with 14 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks. The Bulls are going to need a better offensive performance out of PF Carlos Boozer in Game 7. Boozer has been the most consistent offensive player for the Bulls in these playoffs (17.5 PPG on 56% FG, 11.2 RPG), but in Game 6, he had just 14 points (7-of-15 FG) to go along with his strong 13 boards. He will need to be more aggressive and maybe the presence of Deng will relieve some pressure from him. SF Jimmy Butler had a well-rounded 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but made just 4-of-13 shots. For the series, Butler has been solid with 12.2 PPG on 47% FG (43% threes) and 4.2 RPG.

The Nets have had an up-and-down series. They dominated Game 1, only to look lifeless in Games 2 through 4. But the Nets have now won two straight games with strong defense (91.5 PPG on 44.5% FG allowed), and have committed just 10.0 TOPG during this pair of victories. Deron Williams hasn't shot well this series (41.6% FG), but has still managed to post three straight double-doubles, averaging 24.0 PPG and 10.3 APG during this stretch. He's done a great job running the offense in the past two victories with 21 assists and just seven turnovers in a combined 80 minutes of action. Williams' great performance on Thursday helped compensate for C Brook Lopez who had somewhat of an off-night with 17 points (7-of-18 FG) and just three rebounds in 37 minutes. Lopez had scored more than 20 points in each of the previous five games in the series and had pulled down 30 rebounds over his previous three contests. SG Joe Johnson had a strong game for Brooklyn on Thursday, scoring 17 points (7-of-13 FG) while also dishing out four assists. For the series, Johnson has 16.3 PPG on 46% FG, but just 30% threes. SF Gerald Wallace has found his game after complaining about his lack of a role with the team. He scored just 7.0 PPG in Games 1-3, but is averaging 14.7 PPG on 52% FG (6-of-12 threes) over the past three contests. Wallace's contributions are making it very difficult to defend Brooklyn in the half court. PF Reggie Evans continues to be a beast on the glass with his fourth straight game of at least a dozen boards on Thursday. For the series, Evans has a paltry 5.0 PPG, but a hefty 12.2 RPG.

2013 NBA Playoffs

Chicago's health coming into Game 7 is anyone's guess; Deng had scare with meningitis this week, Hinrich has a bum calf, Gibson/Robinson had flu earlier this week and star Rose hasn't played yet this year, despite practicing for over a month and having been cleared to play. In 35 years as the New Jersey Nets, they never once hosted a Game 7, but they host one in their first year in Brooklyn; Nets' three series wins all went over total, their two losses in regulation both stayed under, with Brooklyn scoring 82-76 points. Oh yeah, Noah is playing his heart out despite his having plantar fasciatis. Home favorites are 4-2 in this series. Chicago is 0-6 on road in Game 7's, in their franchise history.

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