Chicago @ Cleveland 7:05 PM EST
Cleveland -2.5 over Chicago (2 Units)
Another oh-so-exciting battle between Eastern Conference wannabes takes place tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls and their 2-27 road record on the season... after a solid stretch which made it look like Chicago might actually be competitive on the road, the Bulls have regressed back to their former selves, losing six straight on the road by an average of just under ten points per game... and while the Cavs can usually only be relied upon to lose (as they are just 10-43 on the season), the one instance where they have been a solid play is when they are actually expected to win...
In the rare occasions where Cleveland has been installed as a home favorite, the Cavs have gone 8-1 straight up (with the sole loss by one point), and have covered the spread at a 6-2-1 ATS rate... with tonight's line just hovering over a bucket, a straight up win by the Cavs will likely also mean an ATS win as well... once again, when a team is 2-27 on the road, their chances of winning are minimal at best... and considering that the home team is 9-1 straight up in this series, with the Cavs winning five straight at home against the Bulls (while covering each of the last three)...
The favorite in this series has gone 4-1 ATS in the last five matchups, with the sole loss coming by a mere half point... and in covering that last contest, the Cavs are now also 4-1 ATS against the Bulls in their last five meetings... the fact that the Bulls are allowing over 100 points per game on the road this season (and have allowed 106.5 ppg in their last four on the road) may also play into the hands of the Cavs, as Cleveland is a whopping 11-2-1 ATS over the past year and a half when scoring over 100 points at home...
All in all, with this line just over two points, and with the Bulls still not able to win on the road no matter who the opponent, we see too many reasons to go with the Cavs to get their 11th win of the season...
FINAL PREDICTION: CLEVELAND 102, CHICAGO 94
Denver @ San Antonio 8:35 PM EST
San Antonio -14.5 over Denver (2 Units)
Atlanta @ Dallas 8:35 PM EST
Atlanta +13 over Dallas (1.5 Units)
Buzz, you still ain't emailed me...
MC