NBA Playoff Odds 2012: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls
The Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls will have the honor of opening up the 2012 NBA playoffs on Saturday afternoon inside the United Center, with the opening tip scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Bulls as 8.5-point home favorites in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, while the total has held steady at 175.5.
Chicago enters as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, securing that spot despite point guard Derrick Rose missing significant time due to injuries in a shortened regular season schedule.
Last year's league MVP appeared in just 39 of 66 games, averaging 21.9 points and 7.9 assists per game. Backup John Lucas did a nice job filling in for him down the stretch, scoring 11.8 points night in eight April contests.
Sports bettors will find that the Bulls are 11-5-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 17 games versus Eastern Conference opponents, while the "under" has cashed in five straight in that situation.
Philadelphia closed out the regular season by winning four of its last five games, but it dropped two of three against Saturday's opponent in three meetings this season. The 76ers wound up on the short end of a 89-80 loss to the Bulls as four-point road underdogs in their only matchup inside the United Center on March 17.
The locker room shouldn't feel overwhelmed in this series, considering the No. 8 seed has knocked off the top team four times in NBA playoff history, including the Memphis Grizzlies over the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of last year's Western Conference playoffs.
The 76ers are also 7-3 ATS in their last 10 playoff games as an underdog, with the "under" has cashed in seven of nine in that role.
Chicago is an overwhelming -1300 favorite to advance to the next round, with Philadelphia offering a nice underdog price (+925).
