Those who bet on the Kentucky Derby still have some time before the “Run For The Roses”, but there are plenty of other sports worth wagering on, and in the NBA, there may not be a better thoroughbred than Chicago’s Derrick Rose, who has led the Bulls to a 2-0 series lead as they head to Indiana for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Bulls Pacers Betting – Thursday, 7:00 PM ET
Rose had another huge game with 36 points, eight boards and six assists in a 96-90 victory at the United Center, and even though he had six turnovers, you’ll take it with that sort of output, not to mention Rose has the ball in his hands in essentially every Chicago offensive possession. Carlos Boozer also stepped up with 17 points and 16 boards after a poor Game 1, and led by Boozer and Joakim Noah, the Bulls outrebounded the Pacers 57-33, including 20-9 on the offensive glass. Even baseball betting players in Chicago have to be enamored by this Bulls team, and they haven’t even come close to playing their best game yet over the first two games of the playoffs, but it’s definitely encouraging.
One thing that’s not encouraging for the Pacers is the ankle injury suffered by point guard Darren Collison, who is doubtful for this game. He played only 15 minutes before exiting, and while A.J. Price and T.J. Ford did well in his absence, combining for 18 points, they aren’t as good defensively and Collison makes Rose work for his points. Danny Granger led the way with 19 points for the Pacers, while Price was next with 13, but the key in Game 2 is that the big me didn’t play as well as they did in Game 1. Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert held their own in the series opener, but they were run over by Boozer and Noah in Game 2, and that was the difference.
You don’t need sports bookie software to tell you that the Bulls should be favored in this game, and currently they are 4.5-point favorites but it could go up if news comes out that Collison will definitely miss the game. The Bulls are 2-3 SU and ATS in their last five trips to Indiana, and they split a pair of meetings there during the regular season, both SU and ATS, with one of the games going under the posted total. Even if Collison can play, he won’t be at full strength, and the Pacers will need him at extra strength to pull out a win on Thursday as the Bulls are just too good for them. Take Chicago to cover the online sports betting spread.
