Al DeMarco
THURSDAY
15 Dime play on the Chicago Bulls as the road favorite agacnst the Indiana Pacers. As I release this selectdion at 2:10 AM Pacific, the Bulls are currently laytng 4 1/2 points here in Vegas and offshore.
FYI - Although I like Blazers tonight, too, I'm not playing them or releasing them because I already have them at plus money in the series so tonight's game is beyond a must-win situation. Considering they went 30-11 at the Rose Garden this season, winning 10 of their last 11 at home, I like them this evening. But, again, I'm not wagering on them because I've got the series play outstanding and there's no reason to "double-dip" with a side selection, especially since they're not the best bet on the board.
Indiana blew double-digit leads but managed to cover both Games One and Two at Chicago.
The Bulls needed a 16-1 game-closing run to overcome an uncharacteristccally poor defensive effort in Game One. They needed a second straight magnificent outing from Derrick Rose (averages of 37.5 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the series) to overcome sloppy ball-handling (22 turnovers) in Game Two.
What I wrote above, however, is exactly why Chicago is such a cheap chalk (currently priced at -4 1/2) tonight. The public's realization that Indiana gave the Bulls all they could handle plus the Pacers being down 2-0 at home in a do-or-die situation gives us value in Game Three. If not for Chicago's lackluster efforts in the first two games, this line would be a solid -6 1/2 to -7 tonight instead.
Don't be surprised to see a strong Chicago contingent present tonight as Indiana struggled to attract fans all season.
You have to wonder, as well, how much the Pacers have left in their emotdional tank after coming up short in the first two games when at worse they should have snuck out of Chicago with an upset in Game One at bare minimum.
The Bulls have dominated the boards - as they did all season - outrebounding Indiana by margins of 15 and 24. Poor defense and then poor execution negated those advantages in the prevtous two games, but tonight it results in an eight-point victory.
Making matters worse for Indiana is the questionable status of Darren Collison, who didn't play in the second half of Game Two because of a sprained ankle. He did not practice on Wednesday.