Thursday night NBA and we will see the Chicago Bulls travel to American Airlines Arena to take on the Miami Heat. Free Pick to follow. The game has a start time of 8:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on TNT. Current Vegas betting odds have the Heat listed as 1.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 191.5.
Analysis: The Chicago Bulls have lost their lead in the division to Cleveland and come in having lost 3 of their last 4 games, including a 99-94 road loss at Cleveland and a 105-103 loss road loss to Orlando in their last 2 games. Chicago comes in with a 46-32 record overall, which includes a 21-18 mark on the road. The Bulls have gone 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 0 days rest. The Bulls have been a decent offensive team this year, ranking 14th in scoring (100.8 ppg), 20th in shooting, 11th in 3 point shooting and 3rd in FT shooting. Defensively the Bulls have been solid, ranking 11th in points allowed (98.1 ppg), 6th in defensive FG% and 4th in 3 point defense.
The Miami Heat are not really playing good ball at the moment as they come in having won just 3 of their last 10 games. For the year the Heat are now 35-43 overall, including 19-19 at home and they are currently a game behind Boston and Brooklyn for the 8th playoff spot in the East. Miami is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games, but just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games. The Heat have not been a good offensive team this year, ranking 28th in scoring (94.6 ppg), 10th in shooting, 24th in 3 point shooting and 21st in FT shooting. Defensively the Heat have been very good this year, ranking 7th in points allowed (97.3 ppg), 23rd in defensive FG% and 23rd in 3 point defense.
Pick: Going with the Under in this game. Miami is not a strong offensive team, but they are a strong defensive team and have allowed just 97.3 ppg on the year. Miami comes in averaging just 92.2 ppg in their last 5 games, while Chicago has allowed just 89 ppg in their last 4 games. The Bulls are not a strong offensive squad and they have averaged just 91 ppg in their last 3 games. This has been a low scoring series of late as the last 4 in regulation have put up just 173 ppg, with none of those games having more than 180 points scored in a game. This one should be played in the lower 180s.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for NBA Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
Handicapping Tips: Late Season NBA Betting
Teddy Covers and Steve Fezzik from Pregame.com give tips and insight for handicapping the dog days of the NBA season.