Game of the day: Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons
By Steve Merril
Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons (-4, 196) – 7:35 p.m. ET (NBA-TV)
Playoff Positioning
The good news for Chicago and Detroit is that they're both in the playoffs. The bad news is that they will have to face Cleveland, Boston or Orlando in the first round.
Chicago (40-40) is currently seventh in the conference and one spot ahead of Detroit (39-41). The Bulls could surpass Philadelphia for the sixth spot, but can not move any higher.
“We know we’re playing for more than just to make the playoffs,” said John Salmons. “We want to try to move up as far as we can.”
“The top three teams are really good,” said Chicago’s Ben Gordon. “I don't know if it matters much, but it would be a lot better to not play Cleveland. They’ve been playing really well.”
While Chicago is trying to improve its positioning, it appears Detroit is less concerned about where it plays this weekend, especially after making the conference finals for the past six seasons.
“We’re already near the bottom in the playoffs, so at this point, regardless who we play, we can’t worry about who we’re going to play,” said Richard Hamilton. “We’ve just got to know that we made it to the playoffs and hopefully we can have a run.”
Current Form
The Bulls underachieved during the first half of the season and were nine games below .500 on January 25th. They've played excellent basketball during the past month with an 11-3 straight up record since March 14th.
Chicago has also beaten quality teams during the past month with wins versus the Hornets, Celtics, Heat and Sixers. The Bulls also beat the Pistons on March 24th as a 4.5-point home favorite, 99-91.
The Pistons hit rock bottom on February 25th when they suffered their longest losing streak in the past decade with eight straight setbacks. They have since gone 12-12 straight-up in their past 24 games and have played better basketball without Allen Iverson in the lineup.
The Pistons are 3-1 SU in their past four games and have been red-hot offensively, shooting at least 49 percent from the field or better and scoring 100 points or more in each game.
Offensive Minded
The Bulls have scored at least 101 points or more in 12 of their past 13 games. Rookie point guard Derrick Rose is quickly becoming a superstar and John Salmons has played excellent basketball since being acquired from Sacramento in February.
Chicago’s problem has come on defense. The club has permitted at least 50 percent field goal shooting or worse in five of the past six games, while allowing an average of 107 points per game. It's no coincidence the early money pushed the opening total from 195.5 to 196.5
Monday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
Gamblers have a delicious dozen of NBA games on Monday’s card. Although all 16 playoff spots have been taken, Teams are still jockeying for position in terms of seeding. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of these matchups.
**Bulls at Pistons**
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Detroit (39-41 straight up, 34-46 against the spread) as a 4 ½-point favorite with a total of 198. As of early this morning, most books had the Pistons as four-point favorites with the total adjusted to 196 1/2.
--Chicago (40-40 SU, 41-38-1 ATS) has secured a playoff berth thanks to four consecutive wins and 11 victories in its last 14 games. The Bulls beat the Bobcats 113-106 Saturday night, but they failed to take the money as 9 ½-point home favorites. Ben Gordon erupted for 39 points and Derrick Rose finished with 22 points and seven assists.
--Detroit saw its three-game winning streak snapped in a 106-102 loss Saturday at Indiana. The Pacers covered the spread as two-point home favorites. Richard Hamilton had 23 points, five assists and four rebounds in the losing effort.
--If Chicago can win at The Palace of Auburn Hills, it will clinch no worse than the No. 7 seed in the East. If the Pistons lose, they will be relegated to facing top-seeded Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.
--Michael Curry’s squad has been abysmal at home this year, especially for our purposes. The Pistons have limped to an 18-22 SU record and a 13-27 ATS mark at The Palace.
--The Bulls are 12-28 SU and 19-20-1 ATS on the road this season.
--The ‘over’ is 43-35-2 overall for Chicago, 20-19-1 in its road games.
--The ‘under’ is 40-38-2 overall for the Pistons, but they have seen the ‘over’ go 20-19-1 in their home assignments.
--The Bulls have covered the spread in seven straight head-to-head meetings with Detroit. They have won outright in two of three encounters this year, losing in their lone trip to The Palace by a 104-98 count as seven-point road underdogs.
--The ‘over’ is on a 7-2-1 run in the last 10 games of this Eastern Conference rivalry.
--NBA-TV will have the telecast at 7:35 p.m. Eastern.
**Hornets at Rockets**
--LVSC did not release an overnight line due to the uncertain status of both Tyson Chandler and Yao Ming. I'm thinking the Rockets will be at least five-point 'chalk.'
--Houston (52-28 SU, 39-40-1 ATS) has won four straight games but saw its three-game ATS surge end in Friday’s non-covering 113-109 win at Golden St. as a six-point road ‘chalk.’ Yao Ming sat out the win, allowing the ageless Dikembe Mutombo to produce 10 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. Luis Scola scored 28 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists.
--New Orleans (49-31 SU, 34-44-2 ATS) is in a back-to-back spot after beating Dallas by a 102-92 count Sunday in the Crescent City. Chris Paul was the catalyst for the Hornets, producing 31 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds. David West also scored 31 points.
--Byron Scott’s team has a 21-18 SU record on the road. However, the Hornets have been awful versus the number, compiling a 15-23-1 spread record.
--Houston owns a 32-8 SU record and a 19-20-1 ATS mark at home.
--The ‘under’ is 45-33-2 overall for the Hornets, 20-17-1 in their road games. Totals have been a wash (40-40) overall for the Rockets, but the ‘under’ is 22-18 in their home outings at the Toyota Center.
--New Orleans is 7-10-1 ATS in 18 previous back-to-back spots this season.
--Houston has won two of three games against New Orleans both SU and ATS this year, including a 95-84 triumph on March 16 as a six-point road underdog.
--The ‘under’ has cashed in four straight head-to-head meetings and six of the last seven.
--This game will tip at 8:35 p.m. Eastern.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Orlando has nothing to play for Monday when it visits Milwaukee. The Magic are locked into the No. 3 seed following back-to-back losses. Bettors should expect Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkogulu to sit out and Dwight Howard’s minutes could be limited.
--Dallas has won 11 in a row against Minnesota. The Mavs, who are one game back of New Orleans for the sixth seed in the West and one game ahead of Utah, are 11 ½-point home favorites for Monday’s game vs. the Timberwolves. The 'under' has cashed in five straight head-to-head meetings between these clubs. Dallas will conclude its regular season when it hosts Houston on Wednesday.
--Golden State’s Jamal Crawford is “doubtful” and Monta Ellis is “out” Monday vs. San Antonio. With Tim Duncan also a question mark, LVSC did not release an overnight line for this contest.
--After winning 15 consecutive home games, Utah has lost two straight at EnergySolutions Arena to the lottery-bound T-wolves and Warriors. The Jazz need to win out and hope Dallas and/or New Orleans drops a few games in order to avoid a first-round matchup against the Lakers in the playoffs.
--Washington guard Gilbert Arenas, easily this year's most overpaid NBA player, is "questionable" for Monday's home game against Toronto.
--With Miami's win over the Knicks on Sunday and Philadelphia's loss at Toronto, the Heat locked up the fifth seed in the East. Dwyane Wade and Co. will face the Hawks in a first-round series in the East.
--I saw that Syracuse's Eric Devendorf has decided to test the waters to see where his stock is for the NBA Draft. Memo to Devendorf: Your NBA stock is nonexistent.
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NBA Today
SCOREBOARD
Monday, April 13
Chicago at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EDT). The Pistons will try to tie Chicago for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The surging Bulls, who have won four straight, are hoping to move up to sixth place.
STARS
Sunday
— Dwyane Wade, Heat, scored 55 points, one shy of the franchise record, and Miami wrapped up the No. 5 spot in the Eastern playoffs by beating New York 122-105.
— LeBron James, Cavaliers, made five 3-pointers and scored 29 points, helping Cleveland improve to 39-1 at home with a 107-76 rout of Boston.
— Chris Paul, Hornets, narrowly missed his seventh triple-double this season with 31 points, 17 assists and nine rebounds, and New Orleans defeated Dallas 102-92.
— David West, Hornets, added 31 points to help New Orleans move a game ahead of Dallas in the West standings.
— Tony Parker, Spurs, had 25 points and nine assists for San Antonio, which moved into a tie with Houston atop the Southwest Division with two games left by beating Sacramento 95-92.
— Pau Gasol, Lakers, often matched against his brother Marc in the middle, scored 12 points and had 13 rebounds in Los Angeles’ 92-75 rout of Memphis.
ALMOST PERFECT
The Cleveland Cavaliers throttled NBA champion Boston 107-76 to move within one win of matching the 1985-86 Celtics for the best home record in league history. At 39-1, the Cavs can tie Boston’s mark against Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
STATS
A 107-76 victory was Cleveland’s most lopsided win ever in 173 games against the Celtics. … Dwyane Wade shot 19-for-30 from the field, set a career high with six 3-pointers, and nearly topped Glen Rice’s record of 56 points before leaving with 55 and 1:06 remaining in Miami’s 122-105 win over New York. Wade now has six of the eight highest-scoring games in Heat history, four this season. … Andrea Bargnani had a career-high six blocks for Toronto in a 111-104 win over Philadelphia. The Sixers’ Andre Iguodala had a season-high 10 turnovers. … Sacramento finished its Arco Arena schedule with the worst home winning percentage in franchise history at 11-30 (.268).
STREAKS
Philadelphia has lost five straight games after falling 111-104 at Toronto. … The Kings lost their eighth straight, 95-92 to San Antonio. … The Lakers went 4-0 to sweep the series against Memphis for the first time since 2002-03, finishing it off with a 92-75 victory.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 14 rebounds in a 102-92 loss at New Orleans. … Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler each scored 21 points for New York in a 122-105 loss at Miami. … Spencer Hawes scored a career-high 24 points for the Kings in their 95-92 loss to San Antonio.
SIDELINED
Kevin Garnett, who has missed 20 of the Celtics’ last 24 games with a strained right knee, is scheduled to practice Monday in Philadelphia. “It might change,” Rivers said. “We’ll see what we’re going to do.” Boston plays the 76ers on Tuesday and Rivers wants Garnett to play in a game before the playoffs. … Cavs C/F Ben Wallace bruised his left knee in the second quarter against the Celtics and did not return. Wallace, who recently returned from a broken right leg, will undergo an MRI on Monday. … San Antonio kept Tim Duncan out of uniform to rest his sore knees in a 95-92 win at Sacramento.
SPEAKING
“I’m always going to remember that. If I beat a team, as happy as I may be in victory, I’m always going to stay humble and always remember that there’s another day. We play each other too much. Those are great motivational thoughts for me.”—Celtics guard Ray Allen after the Cavaliers danced in joy on their bench during a 107-76 victory over Boston.
“It’s kind of ridiculous that you’re this good.”—Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni talking to Dwyane Wade late in his 55-point effort in Miami’s 122-105 win.
CLEVELAND vs. INDIANA
Cleveland is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cleveland's last 11 games
Indiana is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Indiana is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Cleveland
TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON
Toronto is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Toronto
CHARLOTTE vs. NEW JERSEY
Charlotte is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
Charlotte is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
New Jersey is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
Chicago is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games on the road
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago
Detroit is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Chicago
ORLANDO vs. MILWAUKEE
Orlando is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
Orlando is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games
Milwaukee is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games
MINNESOTA vs. DALLAS
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Dallas is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games at home
NEW ORLEANS vs. HOUSTON
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
New Orleans is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New Orleans
Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Orleans
LA CLIPPERS vs. UTAH
LA Clippers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games
LA Clippers are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games
Utah is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games when playing LA Clippers
Utah is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Clippers
SACRAMENTO vs. DENVER
Sacramento is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Sacramento's last 19 games when playing Denver
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Denver's last 7 games at home
MEMPHIS vs. PHOENIX
Memphis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Memphis is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Phoenix is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
OKLAHOMA CITY vs. PORTLAND
Oklahoma City is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing Portland
Portland is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Portland is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games at home
SAN ANTONIO vs. GOLDEN STATE
San Antonio is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Golden State
San Antonio is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games when playing Golden State
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Golden State's last 10 games at home
Golden State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Hot Teams
-- Cavaliers won four in row, 17 of last 19 games. Pacers are 7-3 in last ten games, covering last four.
-- Bulls won four in row, eight of last ten games. Pistons won three of their last four games.
-- Nets covered five of their last six games.
-- Mavericks won five of their last seven games. Minnesota won its last three road games, covered four of last five.
-- Rockets won last four games, covering three of them.
-- Nuggets won eight of their last nine games.
-- Suns are 10-5 in their last fifteen games.
-- Portland won four in row, eight of last nine games.
-- Warriors won four of last six games, covered four of last five. Spurs won three of their last four games.
Cold Teams
-- Raptors lost four of their last five games. Washington lost five of last seven games, but is 6-2-1 vs spread in its last nine.
-- Bobcats lost five of their last six games.
-- Bucks lost nine of their last eleven games. Magic lost three of last four games (0-4 vs spread).
-- Hornets lost four of their last six games.
-- Kings lost last eight games, covering one of last six.
-- Clippers lost seven of their last eight games. Jazz lost six of last seven games, covered one of last ten.
-- Memphis lost three of last four games, but covered seven of last eight.
-- Thunder lost ten of their last thirteen games.
Totals
-- Seven of last eight Indiana games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Toronto games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Chicago road games stayed under the total; three of last four Detroit games went over.
-- Five of last six Charlotte games went over the total.
-- Last four Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Dallas games went over the total; seven of last nine Minnesota games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven Houston games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Denver games went over the total.
-- Last four Clipper games stayed under the total; over is 7-0-1 in last eight Utah games.
-- Last four Memphis games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Thunder games went over the total.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Golden State games.
Tips and Trends
Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons
Bulls: Chicago looks to clinch at least the seventh seed with its 12th win in 15 games. “We know we’re playing for more than just to make the playoffs,” said John Salmons. “We want to try to move up as far as we can.” Chicago can avoid the eighth seed and a first-round matchup with Cleveland with a victory over the Pistons. The Bulls also are still within reach of passing Philadelphia for the sixth seed and the right to open the playoffs against struggling Orlando. Winning on the road has not come easy for the Bulls, who have lost two straight and nine of 11 away from the United Center.
The Bulls are 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
The Over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Detroit.
Key Injuries - F Luol Deng (13.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, missed the last 19 games) is OUT (shin).
PROJECTED SCORE: 99
Pistons (-4, O/U 196.5): If the Pistons win this one and finish the regular season with the same record as the Bulls, Detroit will be seeded ahead of Chicago because it has a better conference record. That means avoiding a first-round matchup with Cleveland. Detroit is limping toward the postseason, having lost 10 of 16. Tayshaun Prince said, “The best-case scenario is we got in the playoffs, so hopefully we can go in there and do some damage. I don’t think being the eight-seed that we’re in a situation we can’t handle. Any situation would have been tough for us, the way we’ve been playing, the ups and downs we’ve had all season.”
The Pistons are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 Monday games.
Key Injuries - G Allen Iverson (17.5 ppg, missed the last 5 games) is OUT (back).
PROJECTED SCORE: 103 (OVER - Total Play of the Day)