The banged up Chicago Bulls did the unthinkable on Monday night, stealing Game 1 in Miami; tonight they will attempt an encore as they square off against the defending champion Heat in Game 2 of their best of seven set. This evening’s contest, which will be broadcast live on TNT, is scheduled to tip off at 7:00pm ET at the AmericanAirlines Arena. 2013 NBA Playoff Picks have the Heat listed as a -12 against the spread and -1200 moneyline favorite ($1200 wins $100). The Over/Under in tonight’s game is set at 187 points.
The injury riddled Bulls stunned the well rested Heat on Monday night, handing Miami an 86-93 loss, its first of the 2013 NBA playoffs.
Chicago, playing without Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich and as a 13 point road underdog, shot just 43.7 percent from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, but it made up for those blemishes in other ways.
The Bulls won the battle of the boards 46 to 32, they connected on 24 of their 29 free throw attempts, and they played tremendous defense. Chicago forced the rusty Heat, who had not played since April 28th, into a 31-for-78 shooting performance and it limited Miami to 7-for-24 from beyond the arc.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were the only Miami players to score in double figures against the scrappy Bulls as they finished with 24 and 14 points respectively.
Despite Monday’s result, the odds makers are expecting a far different game this evening. Based upon tonight’s line, it is safe to assume both bookmakers and bettors view Game 1 as more of an aberration than the average.
This is, of course, understandable given Miami’s track record at the AmericanAirlines Arena as well as its recent record off a loss. The Heat are 7-1 in their last eight games off a loss, winning by an average of 19.7 points per game.
Chicago Bulls +12 (-110), Over 187 (-110), +750 (Moneyline)
Miami Heat -12 (-110), Under 187 (-110), -1200 (Moneyline)
NBA Free Picks: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat BettingWhat pro basketball bettors need to know about Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat on Wednesday (5/08/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik with Vegas Runner and Bryan Leonard.