Chicago Bulls prepare to play Game 2 against Philarlphia 76ers without Derrick Rose
The Chicago Bulls were on the short-list of NBA Finals contenders, but a season-ending knee injury to former MVP point guard Derrick Rose has dealt those hopes a devastating blow.
Rose was injured near the end of the Game 1 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and Chicago must try to regroup for Game 2 of the teams' first-round series on Tuesday in Chicago.
Rose dealt with injuries for much of the season but was healthy enough to give it a go in Game 1, which the Bulls won pretty easily. Rose has 23 points and nine assists in the game but was injured with under two minutes remaining.
With the serious injury, the betting lines for this game are not surprisingly favoring the76ers. Philadelphia is getting bet on at a 77.8 percent clip to win the game outright, which pays off at +240 on the moneyline.
The spread, though, is the Bulls to win by six and a half points, and the public is choosing Chicago to cover at a 54.7 percent rate. Chicago played pretty well without Rose for stretches during the season, and with the home court could still win this series, but may have trouble down the road in the postseason.
The Bulls are the top seed in the East and tied the San Antonio Spurs for the best regular season record, but without Rose the team will be underdogs to come out of the East and make the Finals.
Chicago's game plan may change without Rose, as the normally stout defense will have to step up even more because his scoring is not there to bail them out of jams.
The Bulls still have some talent and are decent favorites to win Game 2, but the longterm outlook is much fuzzier. Chicago was playing like a possible world champion, but the loss of the team's best player is going to have big ramifications this postseason in NBA basketball betting.
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