517 CHI 5.0 (-110) vs 518 DAL
The Mavericks are finding ways to play very, very close games at home while laying a fair number of points.
I happen to like this spot for Chicago for a few reasons on top of the Mavs' home ATS failures.
First, Chicago is coming off a loss in San Antonio where, simply put, they just ran out of gas in the 3rd quarter. The Spurs defense was good, yes, but the Bulls were coming off a tough game in Houston the night before, and just couldn't sustain the energy needed to beat the Spurs. They have now had a day off to recover, and can give max effort for the full 48 minutes.
Second, the Mavericks are coming off a very physical, emotional home-and-home series with the New Orleans Hornets. Each team covered on the road, but each team won at home, so that's a good indicator of just how close those games were played, and how draining they were. And, the fact that Dallas LOST the 2nd game means that if there was some sort of momentum to take away from that tough 2-game spell, it is most likely with New Orleans.
I believe Chicago wants to show that they're entering the pantheon of elite NBA teams, and a strong road performance in Dallas would do quite a bit to solidify that. I think Dallas will be a little sluggish for parts of the game as they settle back into normal scheduling, and I believe this game is decided late.
Play on the Bulls!
The Mavericks are finding ways to play very, very close games at home while laying a fair number of points.
I happen to like this spot for Chicago for a few reasons on top of the Mavs' home ATS failures.
First, Chicago is coming off a loss in San Antonio where, simply put, they just ran out of gas in the 3rd quarter. The Spurs defense was good, yes, but the Bulls were coming off a tough game in Houston the night before, and just couldn't sustain the energy needed to beat the Spurs. They have now had a day off to recover, and can give max effort for the full 48 minutes.
Second, the Mavericks are coming off a very physical, emotional home-and-home series with the New Orleans Hornets. Each team covered on the road, but each team won at home, so that's a good indicator of just how close those games were played, and how draining they were. And, the fact that Dallas LOST the 2nd game means that if there was some sort of momentum to take away from that tough 2-game spell, it is most likely with New Orleans.
I believe Chicago wants to show that they're entering the pantheon of elite NBA teams, and a strong road performance in Dallas would do quite a bit to solidify that. I think Dallas will be a little sluggish for parts of the game as they settle back into normal scheduling, and I believe this game is decided late.
Play on the Bulls!
