What better way to start off the month of March with a pair of NBA games that’ll surely take you on a roller-coaster ride.
[sc:NBA250 ]Our first game features a showdown between Eastern Conference rivals, as the Chicago Bulls (30-28) and the Miami Heat (33-26) go at one other at the American Airlines Arena. Later on, the Golden State Warriors (53-5) open up a brief two-game home stand versus Al Horford and the rest of the Atlanta Hawks (33-27).
Let’s now take a quick look at these two matchups. And if you’re craving for some college basketball action as well, check out our preview of the Virginia Cavaliers vs. Clemson Tigers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (7:00 PM ET)
Line: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat – view all NBA lines
[sc:NBA250 ]Chicago enters this game as losers of their previous two contests. The latest one came against the Trail Blazers on Saturday, during which Damian Lillard went off for 31 points on them. But it’s worth noting that Bulls were still without Jimmy Butler (knee) and Derrick Rose (hamstring) in that game. And tonight, that’s probably going to be the case again when they face the Miami Heat.
If that’s indeed the case, the scoring load falls on Pau Gasol once gain. He’ll head into this matchup fresh off his first triple-double effort (22 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists) as Bulls player during the loss to Portland. Against Miami, he is averaging 16.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists across 29 career games.
As for the Heat, they’ll be coming off a strong 98-81 victory against the Knicks on Sunday night. Starring that game was none other than Dwyane Wade, who finished with a game-high of 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He’ll look to replicate this performance opposite Chicago defense that’s giving up 105.1 points on the road this season.
Chicago is 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 road games. Miami, meanwhile, is 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS in its previous 10 at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Miami wins it, 95-89.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Golden State Warriors (10:30 PM ET)
Line: Atlanta Hawks (+11.5) vs. Golden State Warriors (-11.5); total: 225.0 – view all NBA lines
For the second time in just eight days, Atlanta will get another shot at the Warriors, who defeated them in their first meeting this season at Philips Arena. This time though, it’s the Hawks’ turn to play as the road team and they’ll be entering Oracle Arena as winners of their last two games. In that brief stretch, Al Horford and Paul Millsap have been delivering fairly solid numbers of 15.5 and 12.5 points while combining for 19.5 rebounds. It’ll be interesting to see if those two and the rest of the Hawks can produce enough points to matchup with the Warriors’ offense (115.4 points per game).
Speaking of the Warriors, they’re probably still in high spirits from their thrilling win over Oklahoma City on Saturday. Stephen Curry and Klay Thomspon— the Splash Brothers—were simply phenomenal in that game, as they combined for 78 points and 14 treys. Curry, in particular, made that win extra special by nailing the game-winning three-pointer with less than a second remaining on the clock.
Now, the Warriors will look to sweep their regular-season series with the Hawks. And needless to say, Curry and co. are going to mercilessly keep pouring on the points opposite an Atlanta defense that’s allowing 101.0 points on the road.
Atlanta is 4-6 SU and ATS in its past 10 games on the road. Golden State, on the other hand, is 9-1 SU and 4-5-1 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State (-11.5) wins again, 112-97.
Create a betting account now, and don’t miss to bet on these two must-see matchups.
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