NBA Playoffs Betting: Hawks Look to Steal Home Court from Bulls
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
By Bodog Sportsbook
The Chicago Bulls are the third-ranked favorite on the NBA championship odds, but they’re in a 2-2 dogfight with the Atlanta Hawks. Their NBA betting series resumes with Game 5 on Tuesday.
The Bulls, who have 7/2 odds to win the NBA championship, had their momentum snapped with a 100-88 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. The Hawks are as up-and-down as any team in the NBA, with players delivering dazzling performances or completely bombing.
But the good Hawks showed up in Game 4—particularly Josh Smith. Smith had scored 17 or less points in nine of his 10 playoff outings, but he was dynamite on Sunday, racking up 23 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists. Smith’s superb day had a ripple effect on his teammates, as Atlanta got double-digit scoring efforts from five different players.
With Smith drawing defensive attention, Al Horford cruised to a big game, going 9-for-11 for 20 points. Joe Johnson had another big game for Atlanta, leading the way with 24 points. Whether or not Smith can keep this pace up remains to be seen.
Chicago has to get back to grinding it out down low. The Bulls are typically a dominant rebounding team, but they barely beat Atlanta in that department on Sunday (37-36). Chicago was also pushed around in the paint, with Horford and Smith netting 43 total points.
Derrick Rose was typically impressive (34 points, 10 assists) but it was Carlos Boozer who has Bulls fans hoping this team has another gear. Boozer has struggled through the playoffs. He scored just 14 total points in his last two starts and is averaging just 10.7 points per game during the postseason. Boozer was much better in Game 4, racking up 18 points. More importantly, he went 7-for-10 from the field, ending a shooting slump. Boozer has made just 42 percent of his field goals in the playoffs—about 10 percent lower than his regular-season average.
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al horford - atlanta hawks - carlos boozer - chicago bulls - derrick rose - joe johnson - josh smith - nba betting - nba championship odds - nba odds¸