Game of the day: Bulls at Cavaliers
By Nick Parsons.
The Cavs try to protect home court advantage in Game 2 of the series. Cleveland raced out to a 22-point lead in the opening quarter, watched the Bulls cut the deficit to seven points, before posting a 96-83 win on Saturday.
One down, 15 to go
The Cavs have one goal in mind after reaching the Eastern Conference finals last year. They gave LeBron James help by adding some pieces with a title in mind including Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker.
"We have the look of a champion," Cleveland's LeBron James said after Saturday's win.
Said Shaq: "Everyone knows it's the first team to 16 wins."
It's over, already
The Cavs have a 10-game winning streak in the first two rounds of the playoffs and they've never lost a best-of-7 series after winning Game 1.
The Cavs are 36-6 at home this season and two of the losses came as they rested players down the stretch after they had clinched home court in the playoffs. They are only 20-21-1 ATS at home and are typically double-digit favorites in Cleveland.
Cleveland is once again a double-digit fave on Monday. The Cavs have given 10 or more points 28 times this year and are 12-16 ATS.
In those games they are 26-2 SU, but one of the losses was against the Bulls very early in the regular season.
The Bulls are the first team in eight years to reach the playoffs despite owning a 10-game losing streak during the season.
Bullevable hope?
Chicago entered Game 1 claiming it would shock the world but there wasn’t anything overly shocking about Cleveland’s double-digit win.
Still, the Cleveland Plain Dealer dished out several reasons why the Bulls should feel optimistic about their chances. After Cleveland jumped out to a 32-18 lead, the Bulls actually out-scored the Cavs the rest of the way.
The Bulls also won the rebounding battle in the second half and their defensive strategy of falling back into the paint and letting the Cavs’ shooters bomb from beyond the arc worked out well. (Cleveland shot 26.1 percent from 3-point land).
''We can't get down on this game,'' Joakim Noah told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''We have to stay confident. We missed a lot of shots today. We just have to keep fighting.''
Season's meetings
There are few, if any, who believe the Bulls can win this series. They may, however, be able to beat the spread.
Derrick Rose seems to be the only Bull capable of creating havoc. He scored 28 points in Game 1 but Cavs coach Mike Brown is not concerned. He feels that if Cleveland shuts down the rest of the Bulls, Rose could have his points and the Cavs will remain in control. It took Rose 28 shots to score his 28 on Saturday and he seemed to avoid contact and got to the free-throw line just twice.
But it's about the spread, King
After the game, James said: “It’s not about winning by 20 or 30. At the end of the day, we won by 13 points. We kept them in the game because we had 18 turnovers. About 13 of them were unforced.”
Lack of a killer instinct cost them in last year's playoffs. In Game 1, it nearly cost their backers the spread but the game was never truly in doubt.
Trend-setting
Five of the past six meetings between these two teams have gone under. The Bulls have gone under four straight and in seven of their last nine contests.
The Bulls are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a SU loss.
The Cavs are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 playoff games as a favorite. The Cavs are 13-3 in their last 16 conference quarterfinal games.
Injury report
O'Neal played 24 minutes in the opener and looked rejuvenated. He scored 12 points and amassed five rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He seems fully recovered from thumb surgery.
Shaq dropped 20 pounds during his rehab by watching his diet and swimming. He made a big splash in Game 1.
Aside from lightly-used Cleveland forward Danny Green (questionable, ankle), both teams are healthy.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago (0-1 SU and ATS) at Cleveland (1-0 SU and ATS)
The top-seeded Cavaliers look to take a 2-0 lead in this best-of-7, first-round series when they play host to the Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena.
In Saturday’s opener, Cleveland breezed to a 96-83 victory, narrowly cashing as an overwhelming 11½-point home favorite. The Cavaliers killed the Bulls on the boards, finishing with a 50-38 rebounding margin, and they held Chicago to just 42.5 percent shooting (37-for-87), while hitting 46.4 percent from the floor (39-for-84). LeBron James had 24 points to pace the Cavs, who despite winning fell well short of their season home average of 103.1 ppg. The win came on the heels of a 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS skid to end the regular season.
Chicago had its playoff-clinching 3-0 SU and ATS run halted in the Game 1 loss, and it was far off of its season road average of 96.6 ppg, primarily due to a 1-for-7 effort from three-point range (14.3 percent). Derrick Rose led all scorers with 28 points, to go with 10 assists.
The Cavs are now 36-6 SU at home this year, but remain just 17-25 ATS, while the Bulls are 17-25 SU on the road (22-20 ATS). Chicago is still 5-2 SU in its last seven on the highway and 7-2 ATS in the last nine as a visitor.
Cleveland is 4-3 SU and ATS in the last seven meetings in this rivalry, and the home squad is on a 19-8 ATS tear in the last 27 clashes. Mike Brown’s troops are also 11-3 ATS in the last 14 matchups at the Q, though the underdog is still 4-2 ATS in the last six meetings. Also, the SU winner is now 28-2 ATS in the last 30 head-to-head clashes between these Central Division rivals.
The Bulls are on ATS upswings of 12-6 overall, 7-2 on the road, 17-8-1 against Central Division rivals, 7-1 after a SU loss and 5-2 as an underdog, but they’re also now 1-4-1 ATS in their last six first-round playoff games and 3-9 ATS in their last 12 against teams with a winning percentage above .600.
The Cavaliers are on ATS purges of 3-8 overall, 2-5 at home, 2-6 as a favorite and 2-5 after a day off. That said, Cleveland is also 13-3 ATS in its last 16 first-round playoff games (6-0 last six), 20-7-1 ATS in its last 27 outings as a playoff chalk and 25-11-1 ATS in its last 37 following a double-digit SU victory.
The over is on runs of 4-1 with Cleveland as a playoff chalk, 4-1 for the Cavs after a SU win and 9-3-1 for LeBron and Co. after a spread-cover, and the over is on a 7-1 stretch with Chicago catching points in the playoffs. However, the Cavs are on “under” rolls of 14-5-1 inside the Central Division and 4-0 in first-round playoff games, and the Bulls are on “under” surges of 7-2 overall (4-0 last four), 10-4 on the road, 11-3 against East Conference foes and 5-1 against winning teams.
Finally, Game 1 stayed under the total, making the under 5-1 in the last six meetings overall 9-4 in the last 13 clashes in Cleveland.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Utah (0-1 SU and ATS) at Denver (1-0 SU and ATS)
The Nuggets will try to take a 2-0 series lead and hang onto home-court advantage when they host the Jazz inside the Pepsi Center in Game 2 of this best-of-7 first-round matchup.
Denver used a big fourth quarter to break open a tight Game 1 and score a 126-113 victory, easily cashing as a 5½-point home chalk. Leading by just two points entering the final stanza, the Nuggets outscored Utah 38-27 to close the game, as All-Star Carmelo Anthony led the way with 42 points and six Nuggets reached double figures in scoring. Both teams shot well with fourth-seeded Denver hitting 57.1 percent of its shots while the Jazz hit at a 54.7 percent clip. Utah lost center Mehmet Okur early in the contest to a torn Achilles and he’ll miss the remainder of the playoffs.
Utah is now 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS in its last seven games, including Wednesday’s season-ending 100-86 home loss to the Suns as a five-point favorite, a crushing defeat that cost the Jazz the No. 3 seed and home-court advantage in this series. Still, since Jan. 6 Jerry Sloan’s squad is on a 35-14 SU roll (31-15-3 ATS).
Even with Saturday’s easy victory, Denver has only split its last 14 contests, and it remains in a 5-11-1 ATS funk. The Nuggets have been playing without coach George Karl (cancer treatment) on the sidelines.
The Jazz are now 21-21 (23-18-1 ATS) on the highway for the season, while Denver is 35-7 inside the Pepsi Center, but a mediocre 21-20-1 ATS.
The Jazz were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs a season ago by the Lakers in five games (3-2 ATS). They’re in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, but have lost four of their last six first-round series.
The Lakers also took out the Nuggets on their way to the NBA title, topping Denver in six games (3-3 ATS) in the Western Conference Finals. Prior to meeting Los Angeles, the Nuggets had won eight of 10 playoff contests in the first two rounds – eliminating New Orleans and Dallas – while going 10-0 ATS. This is Denver’s sixth consecutive playoff appearance after a nine-year drought from 1995-2003.
The Nuggets are now 4-1 against the Jazz this season (3-2 ATS), winning all three meetings in Denver by eight, seven and 13 points. The Nuggets have won six of the last eight clashes while going 7-0-2 ATS in the last nine. Also, the home team is 10-1 (6-3-2 ATS) in the last 11 matchups between these two, and the chalk is 24-10-3 in the last 37.
Utah is on ATS slides of 0-5 as an underdog, 3-15-1 as a road ‘dog of five to 10½ points and 2-7 on the road against teams with winning home records, but it is on several positive pointspread runs, including 31-15-3 overall, 17-9-1 on the road, 21-11-2 against the Western Conference, 26-11 on Monday and 24-8 after a straight-up loss.
In addition to their current 5-11-1 ATS slump, the Nuggets are on pointspread skids of 4-8 as a favorite, 1-4 on Monday, 1-6-1 after one day off and 4-15-4 after a spread-cover, but they are on ATS surges of 9-1 at home against teams with winning road records, 54-26-3 as a favorite of five to 10½ points and 5-0-2 against Northwest Division rivals.
The Jazz have topped the total in 21 of 28 against Northwest Division teams, 10 of 14 after a straight-up loss, nine of 13 on Monday and 31 of 47 as a road ‘dog. Conversely, Denver is on “under” streaks of 11-5 overall and 8-3 as a favorite, but it is on “over” pushes of 5-1 as a playoff favorite, 13-5 against teams with winning records and 5-1 as a playoff chalk.
In this rivalry, the over has cashed in five of six overall and six of seven in the Mile High City, with Game 1 easily clearing the 208-point total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: DENVER and OVER
NBA Combo RoundUp For 4/19
By Dan Bebe
Bulls @ Cavaliers - Cleveland by 11 with a total of 191. This side is interesting, as the last meeting was hovering around 12, and the Cavs covered by a point. Yet, here we are, with this one opening up lower. I have to believe oddsmakers are adjusting for the fact that Chicago won't be so "nervous" in the first few minutes of a road playoff game. The total came down a couple points, and that makes sense, as the last game concluded at 179, so a slight adjustment was to be expected. Unfortunately, I was on a flight, so I didn't get to watch and see how that game was played, but it would seem that Cleveland got up by a relatively hefty margin, and tried to slow the game to a crawl in the second half. If Cleveland doesn't get up big, does the game remain on pace to get near 195? Potentially. I don't much care for the total in this one, though I think there's some interest in the Bulls to try to come back and fight their butts off to steal one on the road. I doubt they will, but a loss by 7-10 is not at all out of the question. Slight lean to Chicago, and no lean on the total.
Jazz @ Nuggets - Denver by 7 with a total of 213. Pretty standard adjustments to this line, after Denver went nuts in the last game and pulled away for an easy victory with a 4th quarter where they simply could not miss. I'm curious what sort of adjustments the Jazz make between games. They lost Mehmet Okur for the season because of an Achilles injury, so if Carlos Boozer isn't getting healthy, this series might not go as far as many of us previously thought. What we know is that Denver can play. When they're hitting shots, they're impossible to stop, especially with Carmelo hanging around. This line jump up to 7 makes me think the Nuggets powerful effort in game one is going to create some value on the Jazz. That game was extremely fast-paced, and both teams shot the ball extraordinarily well. We know Utah would prefer a game that comes down to execution, since they have a half-court offense that is extremely clever and rather unique. I'm honestly a little surprised Jerry Sloan let his team get into a shooting match, since that's really the way Denver would prefer to play. They've got all the electric scorers, and Utah has the tough guys that can push people around a little bit. I lean slightly to Utah, since this line at 7 is a fair amount of value on the dogs. On the total, I can't see these teams playing into the 230's, but 213 is pretty reachable. Will Carmelo shoot 18-for-25 again? Probably not. But the real question is how much success the Nuggets will have speeding things up again. Tiny lean to the Under, but I'd probably avoid this total.
Monday's NBA Tips
By Brian Edwards
Following back-to-back quadruple-headers on Saturday and Sunday to start the 2010 NBA Playoffs, bettors merely have a pair of games to wager on tonight. Nevertheless, that equates to four options with sides and totals, so let’s get you ready for bets and ballgames.
**Bulls at Cavaliers**
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Cleveland (62-21 straight up, 39-43-1 against the spread) as an 11-point favorite with a total of 190. As of late Sunday, most betting shops had the Cavs favored by 10 ½ with the total increased to 191. Gamblers can take the Bulls to win outright for a plus-600 return (risk $100 to win $600).
Mike Brown’s team won Game 1 over the Bulls by a 96-83 count to hook up its backers as an 11 ½-point favorite. The Cavs appeared to be on their way to an easy win when they went up 32-18 at the end of the first quarter. However, Vinny Del Negro’s squad battled back to get within seven in the fourth quarter, but a LeBron James’ jumper with 1:37 left put Cleveland ahead of the number for good.
Shaquille O’Neal, playing for the first time since injuring his thumb on Feb. 25, gave the Cavs a big spark in the pivotal first quarter. Shaq finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in just 24 minutes of playing time. James had 24 points, six boards and five assists. After the game he said, “We have the look of a champion.”
In the losing effort, Derrick Rose flirted with a triple-double. The Windy City native, who was a one-and-doner at Memphis, tallied 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Joakim Noah added 10 points, eight boards, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots.
Chicago (41-42 SU, 42-39-2 ATS) had covered the number in three consecutive double-digit underdog spots until dropping Game 1 both SU and ATS. For the season, the Bulls are 22-20 ATS on the road.
Cleveland owns a 36-6 SU record at QuickenLoans Arena, but it has limped to a 17-25 spread ledger at home.
The ‘under’ is 41-39-3 overall for the Cavs, 21-20-1 in their home games. Meanwhile, Chicago has watched the ‘under’ go 48-34-1 overall, 25-16-1 in its road assignments.
TNT will have the telecast at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.
**Jazz at Nuggets**
LVSC opened Denver (54-29 SU, 36-41-6 ATS) as a 6 ½-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 210 ½. As of late Sunday, most spots had the Nuggets as seven-point favorite with the total up to 212 ½. The Jazz are plus-270 on the money line (risk $100 to win $270).
Denver drew first blood by winning Game 1 Saturday at Pepsi Center, 126-113. The Nuggets took the money as 5 ½-point favorites, while the 239 combined points easily sailed ‘over’ the 208-point total. Carmelo Anthony erupted for a game-high 42 points, while J.R. Smith came off the bench to score 20 points.
Utah (53-30 SU, 49-31-3 ATS) was led by Deron Williams in Game 1, as the Illinois product produced 26 points and 11 assists. Carlos Boozer added 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.
Utah was already playing without Andrei Kirilenko, who averages 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. AK-47 is expected to miss the entire series with a calf injury. Now in addition to that, the Jazz must deal with the loss of Mehmet Okur, who is done for the postseason after tearing his Achilles’ in Game 1. Okur averages 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
The 'over' is 44-37-2 overall for the Jazz, 22-19-1 in their road assignments.
The 'under' is 44-39 overall for Denver, but the 'over' is 23-19 in its home games in the Mile High City.
The ‘over’ is 5-1 in the last six head-to-head meetings between these Western Conference rivals.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:35 p.m. Eastern on TNT.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
Is it just me, or did KG start acting like such a chump only after winning an NBA ring? If you missed the news on Sunday, Garnett was suspended for Game 2 of Boston’s series with Miami. He caught Quentin Richardson with an elbow during a brief skirmish that was mostly instigated by KG. Richardson was fined $25,000.
The favorites finished the weekend with a 7-1 SU record and a 6-2 ATS mark. Portland was the lone underdog to win outright, beating Phoenix 105-100 in Game 1 as a nine-point underdog. Playing without star guard Brandon Roy, Andre Miller took over the Trail Blazers, producing 31 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in with 22 points, while Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum finished with 18 points apiece.
For those backing the ‘over’ for Portland-Phoenix like me, we have to tip our hats to Jason Richardson for draining a fadeaway jumper that was well contested to pull the Suns within 103-100 with 12 seconds left. Most books closed the total at 205, but I got got a more generous number earlier Sunday. Therefore, Miller’s two free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining gave me a winner.
With the exception of the Lakers’ 87-79 win over Oklahoma City that resulted in an easy ‘under,’ how about the finishes for the totals of Sunday’s three other games. Tony Parker’s meaningless late bucket for the Spurs made their loss at Dallas, 100-94. With most spots closing the total at 204, that resulted in a push. And in the Orlando-Charlotte game, a 98-89 win for the Magic, the total closed in the 186-187 range. The Bobcats posted the backdoor cover as 10-point underdogs.
Charlotte’s Stephen Jackson sustained a knee injury in the first half of his team’s Game 1 loss. Although he sucked it up and played well while hobbling through the third quarter, Larry Brown elected to sit Jackson for most of the final stanza. He is going to have an MRI this afternoon.
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