Tuesday's Best NBA Bet
Charlotte Bobcats at Chicago Bulls (-7, 184)
The Bobcats had won four games in a row, but have now lost three straight. The Bobcats have top 100 points in just two of their last nine games and will be in tough against the league’s fourth-ranked defense.
The Bulls have won four of five, their only loss coming against the Bobcats in Charlotte last week. Derrick Rose continues to play at an MVP caliber, averaging 26.2 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over his last 10.
Chicago has also held six straight opponents under the century mark and will look to do so against Charlotte.
While the Bobcats won the last meeting on home court, but they have struggled on the road, sporting just a 4-13 record this year. The Bulls are also a sparkling 18-3 at the United Center this season. Factor in that Charlotte is 0-5 ATS in its last five games on the second half of a back-to-back and it seems Chicago should have no problem taming the Bobcats.
Pick: Chicago
NBA Betting Preview: Bobcats at Chicago Bulls
By: Adam Markowitz
It's amazing to think that the 15-win Charlotte Bobcats have a great chance of making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. They start off Monday just a half-game outside of the second season, and they'll be back in action on Tuesday when they take on the Chicago Bulls.
This 5 p.m. (PT) matchup from Second City's United Center can be seen on Sports South or Cox Sports Chicago.
Both squads have NBA wagering wars to contend with on Monday afternoon on the road, so both will be traveling overnight. The Bulls are at the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Bobcats are at the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Bobcats enter Monday with one of the worst offenses in the NBA, scoring just 92.9 PPG which ranks 28th. The team hasn't exceeded 96 points in a game since January 8 against the Washington Wizards, and it hasn't done it against a team over .500 since December 7 versus the Denver Nuggets. Since that point, Charlotte has only averaged a pitiful 83.0 PPG against teams with winning records, and it is 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in that stretch.
Head Coach Paul Silas' squad is led by Stephen Jackson, who is putting up 18.4 PPG this year. He is a big chunk of the shooting problem that the Bobcats have, as he is only shooting 41.2 percent from the field. Charlotte is shooting just 45.0 percent from the field as a team, ranking No. 22.
Gerald Wallace is back on the court after sitting out with an ankle injury for four games at the start of calendar year 2011. He is only averaging 16.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG since that point. This is a huge decay for a man that averaged a double-double per game last year.
The Bulls aren't really that great of an offensive club either, but they are averaging 99.0 PPG, well above what the Bobcats are putting up on a nightly basis. The difference is that the defense instilled in this team by head coach Tom Thibodeau is dynamic. Chicago is only allowing 93.5 PPG this year, and teams are only shooting 42.8 percent from the field, the best percentage against in the NBA.
Chicago has won four of its last five outright and is 3-1-1 ATS in that stretch coming into this duel with the Grizz. This is the start of a home stretch of six games that will run through the end of the month. At the United Center, the Bulls are 12-7-2 ATS this year.
Derrick Rose is really playing like the league's MVP, and he really could be the winner of the award by the time it is said and done. He is putting up 24.5 PPG this year and is dishing out right at 8.0 APG. Rose is getting a lot of help from Carlos Boozer now that he is back in the lineup. The former member of the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers has put up some fantastic numbers, averaging 20.1 PPG and 10.1 RPG.
The problem the Bulls have is that Boozer is dealing with an ankle injury that is likely to keep him out of Monday's lineup and maybe Tuesday as well. He isn't the only double-double per night man out of the fold though, as Joakim Noah is also out with a thumb injury that has cost him the last 16 games.
The Bulls have won 10 of the last 18 games in this series, but they are only 9-9 ATS in that stretch as well. Charlotte is just 2-9 SU but is 6-5 ATS in its last 11 visits to the United Center in NBA betting action.
NBA RoundUp for 1/18
by Dan Bebe
Atlanta Hawks @ Miami Heat with a total of N/A
I don't really like the spot either team is in, though my hesitance to back Miami is scheduling and situational, and my reticence on Atlanta is just simply that they're not playing much defense. Is the Atlanta comeback against the lowly Kings a sign of better things to come? Possibly. Is the revenge factor coming into play in some small fashion? That's also possible. I'm just not completely sold on any of our normal "factors" being a big deal for an Atlanta team that seems convinced, suddenly, that they can take care of business with just offense. Miami, meanwhile, is coming home for the first time off a 5-game road trip. The one advantage the Heat have over most teams coming home from a long roadie is that they have sort of worked their way across the nation, playing in Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago. So, Miami is only changing one time zone, even though the travel miles are adding up. The concern for the Heat, of course, is the health of the superstars. If LeBron and Bosh are both out, I'm just not sure Wade can do it himself. I'd quote the injured star theory, but there really isn't anyone on the Heat bench that can "step up" and take on a bigger role. Injuries will absolutely be a factor in this contest, but given what we know now, very early, I lean to the HAWKS if the number is high enough, and the OVER.
Charlotte Bobcats @ Chicago Bulls (-7) with a total of 184
It's a damn shame we didn't know the Bobcats would lose in OT, because this line is on its way up, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it "re-open" in the morning even higher than it sits now. And the worst part (or maybe it's the best part) is that I still want to find a way to back Chicago, even laying some pretty hefty chalk. The Bulls are a strikingly good home team, and Charlotte just laid a beating on Chicago only a few short days ago. The Bulls are showing signs of ratcheting up that defense again, and even though maybe they played a bit over their heads in game one without Carlos Boozer, we've seen plenty of times that Derrick Rose is a machine, and he can take care of business with or without his partner in crime. Hell, I happen to think Taj Gibson is actually a better defender than Boozer. Yes, Rose will have to carry almost the entire offensive load, but I can't see Charlotte doing much in the way of scoring. Put all that mess together, and I'm looking at the BULLS and the UNDER.