Basketball Playoffs betting on the series between the Cavaliers and Bulls has moved to Chicago for Game 3 on Thursday, but Cleveland is still favored. The Cavaliers are favored in basketball betting but they have not been that great at Chicago in recent seasons.
Basketball Playoffs betting still favors Cleveland in this game that can be seen on TNT television. The Cavaliers were double-digit favorites at home in the first two games of this series. The number is lower for Game 3 but Cleveland is still expected to win. The trends are a little worrisome for Cleveland backers though. The Cavaliers have split their last ten games both straight up and against the spread at Chicago.
Cleveland played at Chicago twice this season and the teams split the two meetings. It should be noted though that the Cleveland loss earlier this month was when they had nothing to play for. The Bulls won that game 109-108. Earlier in the season, when the game mattered, Cleveland pulled out a 92-85 win. LeBron James had 29 points to lead the Cavaliers in that game. It should also be noted that Derrick Rose did not play in that game due to injury.
This will be the first road game in basketball playoffs betting for Cleveland this season. In the regular season the Cavaliers were 22-18-1 on the road. That was a solid, but not spectacular number. Cleveland is a very good defensive team and that is one reason they had some success vs. the point spread on the road. It also helps when you have LeBron James scoring at will. The Cavaliers also controlled the boards in the first two games of this series and that is always a positive.
Chicago was 20-19-2 at home during the regular season vs. the basketball betting odds. The Bulls were a team that went under the total at home and on the road. Chicago’s defense was average while their offense was below average. That is definitely a recipe for low scoring games. The Bulls do have Derrick Rose though and he is capable of making an impact in this game.
Game 3 of a series is really when you can tell if a team is going to be competitive or not. It has been said that a series doesn’t really favor a team until the road team wins a game. The Cavaliers are favored to do just that on Thursday night.
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