Pacers Edge Bulls; Central Preview (Mar. 4)

Sunday saw Indiana and Chicago square-off for the third time this season, with the Bulls needing to gain ground on the Central Division-leading Pacers. Meanwhile, lowly Detroit traveled to South Texas to take on league-leading San Antonio.

BettingSports.com offers you a breakdown of how those two games played out below. In addition, we’ve previewed those Central Division sides taking to the hardwood on Monday night.

SUNDAY RECAP

Chicago Bulls 92, Indiana Pacers 97

Indiana celebrated a third win this season over division rivals Chicago on Sunday night.

Indiana extended its lead at the top of the Central Division with a 97-92 win over Chicago (34-26) on Sunday night.

Indiana (38-22) has now defeated Chicago (34-26) three times this season with one game remaining between the sides. That game takes place at the United Center on Mar. 23. The Pistons now lead the Bulls by four games in the Central Division.

In addition, Miami’s win over New York earlier in the day means that the Pacers have returned to the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, one game ahead of the Knicks.

Although the Bulls came up short on Sunday – losing for the eighth time in 13 games – the side did reward bettors by covering the 6.5-point opening spread. Chicago is now 18-11-0 ATS on the road, a far cry from its 9-22-0 ATS record at home.

Indiana (34-26-0 ATS) moved to 19-2-0 ATS at home.

The total – which opened at 180 – went over, leaving both teams with a 26-34-0 record in favor of the under.

Detroit Pistons 75, San Antonio Spurs 114

Very little went right for Detroit (23-39) on Sunday. Even without All-Star point guard Tony Parker, San Antonio (47-14) ran up the scoreboard to the tune of 114 points, while its miserly defense held the Pistons to just 75 points.

Entering the game as underdogs (+11), some bettors like Detroit to cover the spread, particularly in the absence of Tony Parker. But as has been the case often this season, the Pistons failed there also. Detroit is now 28-34-0 ATS this season, dropping to 14-15-0 ATS on the road with this defeat.

The total – which opened at 199 – went under, thanks to the Pistons’ anemic scoring. The side is now 29-32-1 in favor of the under this season.

MONDAY PREVIEW

Utah Jazz at Milwaukee Bucks

With J.J. Reddick onboard, the Milwaukee Bucks have started to look a little more lively, winning three in a row.

Winners of three straight, we’re left pondering whether there might be life left in the Bucks yet.

Having lost nine of 11 games prior to this current winning streak, Milwaukee (29-28, 15-14 home) looked to be in danger of falling out of the playoff picture, particularly as Toronto appeared to be surging.

Now, the Bucks are seven games ahead of Philadelphia in the loss column and nine ahead of the Raptors, and again look comfortable in the No. 8 berth. Of course, that No. 8 seed will likely come with a first round series against Miami, so any comfort may be relative.

On Monday night Milwaukee hosts Utah (32-27, 10-19 road), a team that handed the Bucks a 100-86 loss back on Feb. 6. However, that game was at EnergySolutions Arena and the Jazz is a very different prospect when playing on the road.

Utah is 10-19 on the road and has lost four of the last five. That opens up a real opportunity for the Bucks, providing the side is able to stem its erratic home play. Before Saturday’s 122-114 overtime win over the Raptors, Milwaukee had dropped four of five at home.

Utah has gone 4-2 against Central Division opponents, but is 1-1 on the road. Milwaukee is 1-3 when playing teams from the Northeast Division, all of which have been on the road. The side will be getting very familiar with the division shortly.

The Bucks are  favored over the road-phobic Jazz, with the spread opening at 4.5.

Milwaukee is 27-29-1 ATS this season with a 10-18-1 ATS record at home and a 13-16-1 ATS record as favorite.

Utah is 28-30-1 ATS this season, compiling a 10-18-1 ATS record on the road and an 11-15-1 ATS record as the underdog.

The total opened at 202. Both Milwaukee (28-29-0) and Utah (28-30-1) have narrowly favored the under this season.

New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland (20-39, 11-7 home) has little left to play for this season. 10 games back of the playoff picture, the Cavaliers have only a minutia of a chance to make the postseason, and bettors would be advised to avoid laying any cash down in favor of the Cavaliers on the NBA futures.

However, Cleveland will still be looking to catch Detroit – currently three games up in the win column but tied with the Cavs in the loss column – to avoid finishing bottom of the division.

The side hosts New York (35-21, 14-12 road) on Monday night and will look to upset the Atlantic Division-leaders. The two sides played out a close game on Dec, 15, with New York emerging as 103-102 victors.

Cleveland will look to take advantage of New York’s current run of poor form. The Knicks may have won three straight before Sunday afternoon’s loss to Miami, but the Big Apple side has dropped four of the last six away from Madison Square Garden.

New York began the season 3-0 against the Central Division, but has subsequently gone 4-4. Cleveland meanwhile has posted a 4-6 record against the Atlantic Division, which includes a 3-1 record at home.

Cleveland opens as the underdog with the spread at 2.5 points.

Cleveland is 31-28-0 ATS this season, with a 12-16-0 ATS record at home and a 32-27-0 ATS record as underdog, which makes the team a worthwhile pick against the spread.

New York has gone 27-29-0 ATS this season, with a 12-14-0 ATS record away from Manhattan. The side is also 20-25-0 ATS as favorite.

The total opened at 202.5 Cleveland (32-27-0) has favored the over while New York (27-27-2) has split the season evenly between the over and under.