Monday's Best NBA Bets
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (-9.5, 190)
Miami improved to 4-0 (2-2 ATS) against Philadelphia this season with Saturday’s hard-fought 97-89 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Sixers are going to need more from Andre Iguodala (four points on 2-of-7 shooting in Game 1), but will they get it? Iguodala missed the last two contests of Philly’s regular season and it’s clear he is not yet 100 percent. Louis Williams (hamstring) returned from a five-game absence and scored 10 points, but he made only three of 10 shots.
Another problem for the Sixers was something Miami did early in the second quarter. The home team, which had been trailing most of the way, switched to a zone defense and had the lead by halftime.
“We came out with a zone against a team that really likes to attack,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported LeBron James as saying. “The zone kind of keeps everybody out on the perimeter. It just caught them off guard. Those few possessions that we went to the zone allowed us to get back into the game.”
The Heat have now won five games in a row and 16 of their last 19.
Pick: Heat
Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls (-12, 191)
The Bulls trailed 98-88 with less than four minutes remaining in Game 1 on Friday, but at that point it was time for the Derrick Rose show. Rose scored seven of his 39 points in the final 1:50 and Chicago overcame a game Indiana squad 104-99.
“Kid's out of this world,” Pacers’ head coach Frank Vogel said of Rose during his post-game press conference. “He's got (Allen) Iverson's speed, (Jason) Kidd's vision, (Chauncey) Billups' shooting, and (Michael) Jordan's athleticism.”
Even so, Indiana battled the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA for a full 48 minutes. Perhaps the Pacers’ recent regular-season win over the Bulls was not a fluke, after all.
Chicago won 21 of its last 23 games heading into the playoffs, but one of the losses? None other than a 115-108 overtime thriller at Indiana on March 18.
With Tyler Hansbrough (22 points in Game 1), Roy Hibbert (11 points, eight rebounds), and Josh McRoberts able to bang with the league’s best rebounding team, the Pacers are going to be a tough out. It will be hard to recover from letting the opener slip away, but getting 12 points is a lot.
Pick: Pacers
Pacers at Bulls: What Bettors Need to Know
Indiana Pacers at Chicago Bulls (-12, 191)
THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls had more trouble than most people expected in the series opener on Saturday but eventually returned to the form that got them the best record in the NBA - playing tough defense and letting Derrick Rose take over. The Indiana Pacers may have squandered a big lead in the fourth quarter of the Game 1 but at least they learned that they have the talent to hang with the Bulls and maybe steal a game in Chicago. They will attempt to do just that when the teams meet for Game 2 of the first-round series at the United Center on Monday.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, CSCH, TSN2
ABOUT THE BULLS: For a while, it looked as though Chicago was feeling the effects of all the pressure that comes with being the top seed in the league. Then Rose stepped up. The Bulls ended the game on a 16-1 run and tied it when Rose drove for his second straight circus shot in the lane with 1:27 left. Rose got the rebound at the other end and came back up court, drawing the defense before kicking it out to Kyle Korver for a wide-open 3-pointer and Chicago’s first lead of the game with 48 seconds left. Rose finished with 39 points and went 17 of 19 from the free throw line while Luol Deng chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds.
ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter and were still up 10, 98-88, with 3:39 left before collapsing down the stretch. Danny Granger scored 24 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 22 but the Pacers got little from anyone else in the second half. They seemed to figure out how to attack the Bulls’ league-leading defense, shooting 10 of 18 from beyond the arc. Now they just have to find a way to stop Rose from getting into the lane.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Carlos Boozer was a non-factor in the first game for Chicago, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Paul George was held to two points in his first career playoff game for Indiana.
KEY STATISTIC: Rebounding. The Bulls dominated the glass, 49-34, in the first game and were especially active on their own end, pulling down 21 offensive boards.
LAST WORD: When asked if he ever felt safe with the lead, Granger gave this response: “With Derrick Rose on the other team? No. It’s like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend,” he said. “Every time you tell her you don’t want to talk to her, she’ll show up at your door again.”
TRENDS: Chicago is 0-5-1 against the spread in its last six playoff games as a favorite and 1-6 ATS in its last seven home games
The under is 7-3 in Indiana's last 10 games as a road underdog.
The over is 5-1 in the Pacers last six games at Chicago.
LeBron James, Heat battle 76ers in Game 2
By: Willie Bee
It's been a while since the Miami Heat opened a playoff series with a victory, almost five years for those scoring at home. Saturday's Game 1 battle with the Philadelphia 76ers almost followed suit.
Miami overcame an early 14-point deficit and withstood the Sixers' late charge to take a 1-0 lead in the series with a 97-89 win. The Heat now look to grab a two-nil edge in the best-of-7 series when they host Philadelphia for Game 2 on Monday. TNT will provide the telecast from AmericanAirlines Arena beginning at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
Oddsmakers have set Monday's spread at 9½ in favor of the Heat with 189 for the total.
The last time Miami started a postseason series with a win was May 2006 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons. The Heat went on to win that series and the ensuing NBA Finals versus the Mavericks.
Miami was 0-3 in Game 1's since then, having been knocked out in the opening rounds of the 2007, 2009 and 2010 NBA Playoffs.
Philadelphia started hot Saturday while Miami came out cold. The 76ers jumped out to a 20-8 lead midway through the first quarter and had no trouble finding the net while building a 31-19 advantage during the initial 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Big 3 for the Heat – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – struggled to score. The trio was just 2-of-9 from the field to start the game before things started to click. A 16-2 Miami run during the second quarter erased Philly's early edge.
Thaddeus Young's layup with a little more than two minutes left in the game brought the Sixers to within one at 88-87, but that's as close as Miami Thrice allowed the 10½-point underdogs to get.
Bosh led all scorers with 25 points while adding 12 rebounds. James also recorded a double-double with 21 points and 14 boards. Young paced Philadelphia with 20 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
Miami took the glass battle with a 52-39 advantage in rebounding, but the real edge for the Heat came at the free throw line where they outscored the Sixers 31-12. James, held to just four field goals in 14 attempts, converted 13-of-14 charity tosses.
Twelve of the Heat's 35 points in the second quarter came via free throws. Philadelphia got to the line just four times in the second, hitting all four shots.
Saturday's defeat left the 76ers 0-4 straight up against Miami after the Heat won all three regular season encounters. Philly has split at the window, 2-2 against the spread, with the Game 1 'under' (190) also leaving the totals 2-2 in the four matchups.
Mike Miller is questionable for Miami on Monday after reinjuring his thumb in just three minutes of court time Saturday. Philadelphia is not reporting any noteworthy injuries for Game 2.
The series will take a two-day break before resuming at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Thursday. TNT will also carry that broadcast with the tip a little past 5:00 p.m. (PT).
NBA Playoff Preview
Chicago won four of five against the Pacers this year, with three of five going over total; Bulls won their last ten games overall, with five of last seven staying under- they're 5-8 vs spread in last 13 games as a favorite. Indiana is 7-4 vs spread in last eleven games as an underdog; they made 10-18 behind arc in Game 1, still lost, going -15 on boards- they also got outscored 26-11 on foul line. Dunleavy was only plus Pacer (+4). Bulls' Bogans was -11 in only 17:17 on floor.
Miami is 4-0 vs Philly this season, winning by 10-9-12-8 and covering two of the four, with three of four staying under total. Heat won eight of last nine games overall (6-3 vs spread). 76ers are 1-6 in last seven games (1-6 vs spread) with all seven games staying under. Bench took 42 of Sixers' 85 shots in Game 1; they were -10 in the 8:00 Brand didn't play. Miami outscored its guests 31-12 from foul line, was +13 on boards.