NBA playoffs: Cavs and Rockets second round favourites

After disposing of Milwaukee Bucks with a crushing 120-66 victory to clinch their first round playoff win in six games, Chicago Bulls travel to Cleveland on Monday, where they face the Cavaliers in Game 1 of their second-round series as heavy 4.5-point underdogs in NBA betting at Coral.

The No. 3 Bulls struggled against Milwaukee after jumping out to a 3-0 series lead. Milwaukee refused to roll over, posting back-to-back wins over Chicago for just the second time in their last 25 meetings before getting trampled by the Bulls in Game 6.

Those two SU defeats to Milwaukee are Chicago’s only losses in their last 10 outings, while going 7-3 ATS. However, the Bulls have struggled against the No. 2 Cavaliers this season, going 1-3 SU in four meetings during the regular season, including a pair of SU losses at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.

But, Chicago rewarded punters with ATS wins in their last two encounters with the Cavs, including a statement 113-98 win at home in February, while listed as two-point home underdogs.

The Cavaliers move on to the second round following their four-game sweep of the No. 7 Boston Celtics, going 3-1 ATS while winning by an average margin of 9.25 points
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Cleveland have now won six straight SU, dating back to the final days of the regular season, 4-2 ATS, and are 18-4 SU in their last 22 contests overall.

However, their victory over the Celtics came at a heavy cost. Star forward Kevin Love will miss the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a shoulder injury in Game 4 that required season-ending surgery.

Despite the loss of Love, who recorded double-doubles in two of three games against the Bulls this season, the Cavs remain fancied to top the Bulls, as odds-on 4/9 series favourites.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Houston Rockets (-6.5)
Following their emotional last-second victory over defending champions San Antonio Spurs, which gave them a seventh-game first round series victory, LA Clippers will try to avoid a letdown when they visit Houston Rockets on Monday as 6.5-point underdogs.