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Pregame.com has your Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers free pick for Monday night's NBA Playoff game. Visit Pregame.com here
The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of their best of 7 first round series. The Cavaliers dominated the first game, and the Bulls will now look to get back in the series. The Cavaliers are 10.5 favorites, with a total of 191 points expected tonight. TNT will broadcast the game at 8:00 EDT.
Cleveland announced they were ready for the postseason with a huge 1st Quarter against the Bulls in Game 1 of their playoff series. The Cavaliers outscored the Bulls 32-18 and never looked back in their SU and ATS win. The Cavaliers finished the regular season at 61-21 SU, the best record in the NBA, yet many experts were concerned with the layoff the Cavaliers had entering the postseason. Cleveland has home court advantage as long as they are in the playoffs, which is crucial considering they are 36-6 SU and 18-23-2 ATS at home this season. Cleveland is 32-34 ATS as the listed favorite this season, including 6-10 ATS as a home favorite of 9.5 to 12 PTS. F LeBron James had 24 PTS on only 19 shots in Game 1, showing just how efficient his offensive game is. James comes off a regular season in which he averaged 29.7 PPG, 8.6 APG, and 7.3 RPG. C Shaquille O'Neal had a solid Game 1, as he had 12 PTS in 24 minutes of play. O'Neal also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in a great all around game.
The Cavaliers are 19-6-1 ATS in their last 26 playoff games as the listed favorite. The Over is 4-1 in the Cavaliers last 5 playoff games as the listed favorite. Forward Danny Green is listed as Questionable with an injured ankle.
Chicago entered the post season with confidence, yet that didn't help them at all in Game 1 against Cleveland. The Bulls looked lost on the court outside of PG Derrick Rose. Besides Rose, no other Bulls player scored more than 12 PTS for the Bulls. The Bulls only made 1 three pointer in the entire game, and they will certainly need to improve on that marksmanship if they are going to steal a game in this series. Rose led the Bulls with 20.8 PPG and 6 APG this season, and will continue to be the lead option for the Bulls in the postseason. The Bulls are 17-25 SU and 22-29 ATS away from home this season. The Bulls were 23-21 ATS as the listed underdog this season, including 2-5 ATS as a road underdog between 9.5 and 12 PTS. The Bulls have fared well this season in their own division, going 10-6 ATS this year. Chicago has scored at least 100 PTS in 4 of their past 6 games, while holding their opponents to 96 PTS or fewer in their past 4 contests. The Bulls
will attempt to steal Game 2 tonight, and will consider the fact that they outscored the Cavs in the 2nd half as a confidence builder for tonight.
The Bulls are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a SU loss. The Over is 7-1 in the Bulls last 8 playoff games as the listed underdog.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 104-96 in favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Over 191 is the Total of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
