The Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets will play the seventh and deciding game of their first-round NBA betting series on Saturday as the two teams hit the floor at the Barclays Center.
Brooklyn forced Game 7 with a 95-92 victory as a 1.5-point road favorite in Game 6 of the series on Thursday night. Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez each scored 17 points for the Nets that game. Marco Belinelli had 22 points for Chicago.
The Bulls will look to vanquish their hosts on Saturday, as they are 36-46 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Nets are 39-41-2 ATS. Chicago is 37-45 against the total, while Brooklyn is 41-41 versus the number. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).
View Chicago vs Brooklyn Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Bulls were listed as 6-point underdogs at many online sportsbooks (including Sportsbook), with the total listed at 183.5 earlier in the day (check Sportsbook for updates during the day).
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Nets at No. 12 and the Bulls at No. 13 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 96-95 result in favor of the Nets.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Brooklyn's No. 17-ranked offense (96.9 PPG) against a Bulls defense that ranks No. 3 at 92.9 PPG. The Nets have averaged 45% from the field per game, more than the Bulls have managed so far this season (43.7% on average).
Defensively, the Bulls feature the league's No. 4-rated defense on the road, giving up 94.9 points per game. Brooklyn, meanwhile, comes in at No. 19 in the league in scoring at home.
The Nets were a 95-92 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Bulls. They covered the 1-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (187) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. The Nets grabbed a 95-92 win over the Bulls on Thursday, behind a 17-point effort from Brook Lopez at United Center.
Chicago Bulls Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
After playing Brooklyn are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
Brooklyn Nets Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
After playing Chicago are 4-6
After a win are 6-4
A few Bulls at Nets trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Chicago's last 18 games when playing on the road against Brooklyn
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Brooklyn
Chicago is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing Brooklyn
Brooklyn is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Brooklyn's last 5 games at home
Brooklyn is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 19 of Brooklyn's last 25 games
