NBA playoff betting players watched a virtuoso performance by LeBron James in Cleveland’s rout of Chicago in Game 4 in the Windy City to take a 3-1 series lead, and there was nothing in the Bulls’ body language that suggests that they can stave off elimination in Tuesday’s Game 5 in Cleveland.Bulls vs Cavaliers odds – Tuesday, April 27, 8:00 PM ET
James put up his fifth career postseason triple-double in a 121-98 romp on Sunday, posting 37 points, 12 boards and 11 assists, and he nailed six of his nine attempts from beyond the arc. Antawn Jamison was next with 24 points as the Cavaliers shot 53.2% from the field, and they hit 12 of their 25 three-point shots. The Cavaliers put the game away with a 37-24 edge in the third quarter, and it was James’ shot from just inside halfcourt at the buzzer. It wasn’t a heave, but more like a jumper, and it was essentially the dagger in this series.
Joakim Noah led the way with 21 points and 20 boards, while Derrick Rose also had 21 points for the Bulls, who shot a miserable 37.4% from the floor. In the second half, the Bulls started settling for jump shots, which isn’t really their game, and that’s a matter of poor coaching and a young team. However, if the Bulls want to take a couple of positives away from this game, they made 26 of their 32 free-throw attempts, and grabbed 17 offensive boards, but their failure to turn those second chances into points was their downfall. That, and playing against LeBron James.
NBA betting odds will definitely favor the Cavaliers to close out the series at home, and yes, Cleveland does depend on James too much, but when you have the best player on the planet, what do you do? James has averaged 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in this series, and while Luol Deng is doing everything he can to slow down the “King”, there is really and truly nothing he can do when James gets going, and when he is shooting from downtown like he did in Game 4, forget about it. The Cavaliers also got good contributions from Jamison and Mo Williams, although it was a bit worrying when James had to go back in the game with just over nine minutes remaining because the offense wasn’t getting good looks. The Bulls may have emptied all of their bullets out just trying to get to the playoffs, and they looked like a beaten team late in Game 4. Go with the Cavaliers in your online sportsbetting picks on Tuesday.
