Talk about a tale of two halves! In Games 1 and 2, the eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls completely dominated the top-seeded Boston Celtics and had many basketball fans and experts alike talking about a sweep. Fast forward two games later and it is now the Bulls that are on the ropes, following one crucial injury to veteran point guard Rajon Rondo and a pair of losses that have evened the series heading into Wednesday night’s Game 5 matchup.
Now, let’s find out where the NBA betting value lies in Game 5 with the road team winning all four games in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.
The Celtics are solid 8-point home favorites to beat the Bulls in Game 5 when it gets underway on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 8:30 PM ET, live from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts while airing live on TNT.
“We don’t come out with any energy in the first quarter,” all-star guard Jimmy Butler said. “If we start playing at the start of the game like we do to get out of the hole, we’d probably be up (in the series.)” Now, heading into Game 5, the Bulls need to find a way to get their mojo back, although they’ll still be without their floor leader in Rondo.
“It is going to be challenging,” future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade said. “Game 1 was challenging; Game 2 was challenging. It’s the playoffs. We have to go out there and play basketball better than we did here.”
The C’s got another jaw-dropping performance from all-tar point guard Isaiah Thomas as the ‘biggest little man’ in the NBA today scored a game-high 33 points on 10-for-21 shooting while dishing out seven assists in Boston’s 104-95 victory in Game 4 on Sunday. Thomas, who lost his younger sister in a fatal car wreck less than a week ago, has been virtually superhuman even in the face of tragedy. “What he’s been through in the day-to-day is unfathomable the way he has performed on the court,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said. “It’s been really incredible.”
Thomas either scored or assisted on every point of a 12-0 run the Celtics made in the third quarter after the Bulls took a 65-63 lead. “I just try to play the same way no matter who’s out there on the floor (defensively),” Thomas said. “I have a job to do, and that’s to score the basketball, make plays for others and be the leader.”
“He had a hell of a game tonight. But when you’re allowed to discontinue your dribble on every possession, he’s impossible to guard,” Hoiberg complained after Game 4. “He’s impossible to guard when you’re able to put your hand underneath the ball and take two or three steps and put it back down. It’s impossible to guard him in those situations.”
While the Bulls have gone 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a winning record, the favorite in this series has gone 9-3 ATS in the last dozen meetings between these Eastern Conference rivals.
More importantly, the C’s have a ton of confidence and I believe they’re going to go all-out to make Fred Hoiberg look even more foolish than he did when he foolishly uttered his complaints about Isaiah Thomas.
Now, let’s find out where the NBA betting value lies in Game 5 with the road team winning all four games in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.
Here’s A Closer Look At The Chicago Bulls Vs Boston Celtics 2017 NBA Expert Picks
When: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 8:40 PM ET Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts TV: TNT Live Stream: Watch NBA NBA Odds: Boston -8 / Total: 202The Celtics are solid 8-point home favorites to beat the Bulls in Game 5 when it gets underway on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 8:30 PM ET, live from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts while airing live on TNT.
Why Bet The Chicago Bulls Odds at +8
The best reasons to back the Bulls (43-43 SU, 44-42 ATS) in Game 5 is that they’re completely desperate after watching their 2-0 series lead disappear in the blink of an eye over the weekend. Chicago fell into an early hole against Boston for the second straight game by getting outscored 30-18 in the first quarter.“We don’t come out with any energy in the first quarter,” all-star guard Jimmy Butler said. “If we start playing at the start of the game like we do to get out of the hole, we’d probably be up (in the series.)” Now, heading into Game 5, the Bulls need to find a way to get their mojo back, although they’ll still be without their floor leader in Rondo.
“It is going to be challenging,” future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade said. “Game 1 was challenging; Game 2 was challenging. It’s the playoffs. We have to go out there and play basketball better than we did here.”
Why Bet The Boston Celtics Odds at -8
The best reason to back Boston (55-31 SU, 42-42 ATS) in Game 5 is that they have regained momentum and now seem to have found the formula to beat the Bull after their struggles in the first two games of this series.The C’s got another jaw-dropping performance from all-tar point guard Isaiah Thomas as the ‘biggest little man’ in the NBA today scored a game-high 33 points on 10-for-21 shooting while dishing out seven assists in Boston’s 104-95 victory in Game 4 on Sunday. Thomas, who lost his younger sister in a fatal car wreck less than a week ago, has been virtually superhuman even in the face of tragedy. “What he’s been through in the day-to-day is unfathomable the way he has performed on the court,” Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said. “It’s been really incredible.”
Thomas either scored or assisted on every point of a 12-0 run the Celtics made in the third quarter after the Bulls took a 65-63 lead. “I just try to play the same way no matter who’s out there on the floor (defensively),” Thomas said. “I have a job to do, and that’s to score the basketball, make plays for others and be the leader.”
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
While I’m not real fond of the high, 8-point spread in this contest and can fully understand why a whopping 63 percent of public bettors like the Bulls to cover it, I’m going to urge you to back Boston in Game 5 for one major reason – Fred Hoiberg’s disrespectful comments about Thomas following his team’s Game 4 loss.“He had a hell of a game tonight. But when you’re allowed to discontinue your dribble on every possession, he’s impossible to guard,” Hoiberg complained after Game 4. “He’s impossible to guard when you’re able to put your hand underneath the ball and take two or three steps and put it back down. It’s impossible to guard him in those situations.”
While the Bulls have gone 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against a team with a winning record, the favorite in this series has gone 9-3 ATS in the last dozen meetings between these Eastern Conference rivals.
More importantly, the C’s have a ton of confidence and I believe they’re going to go all-out to make Fred Hoiberg look even more foolish than he did when he foolishly uttered his complaints about Isaiah Thomas.
