NBA Betting: Chicago are one to take on after tough opening

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 04 November 2008 / Leave a comment

Nick Shiambouros runs through the early and midweek matches as the NBA season gets into stride.

The Boston Celtics crushed the Chicago Bulls 98-80 last Friday night and showed the rest of the Conference that it will be very tough for any team to come to Massachusetts and defeat the world champions.

Even in the fourth quarter, when the game was over, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were cheering on the bench players as if it was a play-off game. Derrick Rose was once again impressive for Chicago, but this team is very much in rebuilding mode and I would tread carefully when punting them.

Los Angeles Lakers remain unbeaten after beating the Denver Nuggets 104-97 on Saturday but the real news is the announcement by Denver that they have traded superstar Allan Iverson to Detroit in a complex three player trade. The Nuggets will get Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb in exchange for Iverson. The announcement was made late Monday night and I can see the benefits to both teams. Simply put, the Pistons will now be able to score and the Nuggets will be able to defend.

Tuesday is election day in America when the Houston Rockets host the Celtics in a fascinating match-up. If lucky we may know who the next President is before the opening tip-off.

The Rockets are unbeaten at 3-0, having made a flying start to the season. New signing Ron Artest has hit the ground running and a healthy Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady will give the Celtics plenty to think about. I favour Houston in this one and currently they are trading at [1.8] on the exchange.

The Celtics will be tough but Rockets coach Rick Adelman has this team very focused at the moment. Boston lost their first road game to Indiana on Saturday and Houston are very much a streak team.

On Wednesday night, the Miami Heat host the Philadelphia 76ers in what promises to be a close affair in south Florida. I slightly favour the home team who have rookie Michael Beasley, Shawn Marion and, of course, team leader Dwyane Wade as part of a potent offence.

Both teams have had a shaky start to the season but I think Miami have more talent and strength on the bench than Philadelphia, whose coach Mo Cheeks has little chance of joining the Phillies as world champions this year. I am going to be taking Miami and the points in this one. Philadelphia spanked Sacramento 125-91 last night so the Heat should be a good price.

Also on Wednesday night, Chicago travel to Cleveland Cavaliers in a game that looks likely to be another tough one for the Bulls. LeBron James believes that he is the best player in the world and that comment receives no argument from me. It has been rumoured that when his contract expires in 2010 he will be traded to the Pistons but until then he is a Cavalier. The Bulls looked exhausted against Boston the other night and I think Cleveland will have a breakout night after a very slow start to the season.

Cleveland have lost the first two road games but have looked solid at home. The Cavaliers are not totally a one man team and players like Wally Szczerbiak and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are huge talents.

Nothing is going right for Chicago at the moment and they lost a heartbreaker against the Orlando Magic 96-93 late on Monday night. The Bulls as a result may come out flat against the Cavaliers so there should be a good trading opportunity early on. I am going to take Cleveland and the points with the under total points in this match.

Recommended wagers:

Tuesday - Houston, back around [1.8]
Wednesday - Miami, back with advertised handicap
Cleveland, back with advertised handicap and back under total points