The Chicago Bulls, the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the second straight season, begin what they hope will be a run to the NBA Finals when they take on the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in a first-round playoff series Saturday afternoon.
As of Friday morning, some online sportsbooks are lining Chicago as a nine-point favorite for Saturday's series opener (1 pm Eastern, TNT). [ Matchup Report and Trends ]
On the NBA futures market is listing the Bulls at 8/5 to win the Eastern Conference and 7/2 to win the NBA championship, while Philadelphia is getting 50/1 to win the East and 100/1 to win the league title.
ADVERTISEMENT: Think Derrick Rose's injuries lend themselves to a 76ers upset? It's a huge payoff at .
Chicago won the Central Division this season and tied with San Antonio for the best record in the league at 50-16. And should the Bulls and Spurs meet in the Finals Chicago would hold home-court advantage, because they beat San Antonio in the only meeting between the teams this season.
The Bulls ended the regular season by winning seven of their last nine games. And in playing some pretty good defense Chicago's last six games all played 'under' on the totals.
Philly, meanwhile, started 18-7 this season, then went just 17-24 the rest of the way. The Sixers led the Atlantic Division for a good part of the season, but ended up finishing third, behind Boston and New York.
In the head-to-head action between these teams this season Chicago beat Philly two out of three games. But even though those games only averaged 179 total points, two of them played 'over' their posted totals.
For the season the Sixers went 30-36 on the 'over/unders,' while the Bulls went 31-34.
This series could turn into a defensive slugfest. Chicago ranked second in the league and Philly fourth in FG defense, as both teams held opponents to less than 43 percent shooting.
On the injury front Chicago's Derrick Rose, the league's reigning MVP, has been dealing with various injuries throughout this season, and missed recent action with a sore foot. But he's listed as probable for Saturday's series opener.
The Bulls went 26-7 straight-up and 17-15 against-the-spread at home this season, while Philly went 16-17 SU and 16-16-1 ATS on the road.
Bulls vs Sixers Prop Bets from
Series Price
Philadelphia 76ers (Series Prices) 9/1 (+900)
Chicago Bulls (Series Prices) 1/14 (-1400)
Exact Series Result
Chicago Bulls 4-0 6/1
Chicago Bulls 4-1 3/2
Chicago Bulls 4-2 9/2
Chicago Bulls 4-3 14/5
Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 70/1
Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 30/1
Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 9/1
Philadelphia 76ers 4-3 14/1
Total Games in Series
Over Games O 5½ 10/13 (-130)
Under Games U 5½ 1/1 (EVEN)
Total Games in Series
4 11/2
5 31/20
6 12/5
7 43/20
Series Game Spread
Chicago Bulls +1½ 1/12 (-1200)
Philadelphia 76ers -1½ 13/2 (+650)
Series Game Spread
Chicago Bulls -1½ 20/33 (-165)
Philadelphia 76ers +1½ 27/20 (+135)
Where Will the Series be Decided?
United Center, Chicago 20/33 (+135)
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia 27/20 (-165)
Player Props
Average First Round Points Per Game - Derrick Rose
Over/ Under 25
Average First Round Assists Per Game - Derrick Rose
Over/ Under 8
Average First Round Points Per Game - Luol Deng
Over/ Under 15
Average First Round Points Per Game - Carlos Boozer
Over/ Under 14.5
Average First Round Points Per Game - Joakim Noah
Over/ Under 10.5
Average First Round Rebounds Per Game - Joakim Noah
Over/ Under 10.5
Average First Round Points Per Game - Lou Williams
Over/ Under 13.5
Average First Round Points Per Game - Jrue Holiday
Over/ Under 12.5
Average First Round Points Per Game - Andre Iguodala
Over/ Under 12.5
Average First Round Rebounds and Assists Per Game - Andre Iguodala
Over/ Under 11
