Thursday’s Must-watch NBA Betting Matchup: Cavaliers at Bulls

The Cleveland Cavaliers (32-21, 2nd in Central Division) and the Chicago Bulls (33-20, 1st in Central Division) will have the honor of playing the only game slated for Thursday’s NBA calendar, meaning all hoops fans will be watching the intra-divisional matchup without any divided attention. This game, which is set to take place at the United Center in Chicago, will be the last NBA betting game before we go into the All-Star break. Venue: United Center, Chicago, Illinois Date: Thursday, February 12, 2015 Time: 8:00 PM ET TV: TNT NBA Betting and Game Preview On paper, the Bulls should be having the upper hand in this game, considering they will be playing in their home turf. In addition, Chicago’s last game came on Tuesday against the Kings, a home game that the Bulls won 104-86. With two days to rest before Thursday’s game, the Bulls should be fresher and well-rested than the Cavs, who have a demanding game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

In Chicago’s win over Sacramento, the Bulls looked very solid and composed, with Pau Gasol leading the team with 26 points and 16 rebounds (his 34th double-double this season), Tony Snell going 9-of-11 shooting for a career-high 24 points, and Derrick Rose posting 23 points plus seven assists. The only blemish in the win was Jimmy Butler’s strained right shoulder injury, which forced him not return to the game after halftime. Speaking after the Sacramento win, Chicago’s coach Tom Thibodeau said that Butler is set to receive an MRI on Wednesday to assess the nature of his injury. The Bulls will be hoping that the shooting guard, who is the Bulls’ leading scorer with 20.4 PPG, will be fit enough to play Thursday’s crucial game, giving them a stronger chance against the highly-scoring Cavaliers. In his absence (which looks quite probable), it will be upon Gasol and his teammates to pick up the slack and deliver more efficiently. Winning this game is however easier said than done for the Bulls, bearing in mind the Cavs are 2-0 in the series against Chicago, and Cleveland outclassed the Bulls in their last meeting on January 19th. Playing against the Cavaliers at The Q in the January matchup, Cleveland had a solid defensive act, routing the Bulls 108-94. For all their offensive talent, the Bulls were held to just 37 percent from the field and outrebounded 54-40 by the Cavs, in spite of Chicago entering that game ranking better than Cleveland in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

If the Bulls are to stop the Cavaliers from going 3-0 in this year’s series, they’ll need to exhaustively use their third-best rebounding game in league (averaging 45.5 PPG) and outrebound Cleveland, while also ensuring that the dangerous in-form trio of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are denied access to the basket, particularly in halfcourt sets. Also, Chicago’s bench (which outscored the Cavs 28-11 in January) will also need to continue with their strong showing, with the likes of Tristan Thompson maximizing their game-time. It is only through such tactics that the Bulls will have decent chance of claiming a victory on Thursday. Key Betting Trends

• The Cavaliers are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five games
• The Bulls are 3-2 SU/ATS in their last five games
• The Cavaliers are 2-0 SU this season against Chicago
• The total has gone UNDER in seven of the last nine Cleveland games
• The total has gone UNDER in five of the last five Chicago games

Writer’s Prediction If Butler gets to start Thursday’s game, I’d take my chances with Bulls for a marginal win over Cleveland, but in his absence, it will be difficult to bet against the red-hot Cavaliers. Either way, expect an averagely-scoring game, with the total probably going UNDER.