This past Thursday’s online NBA betting action brought with it a tremendous sportsbook upsets. The Chicago Bulls, who were sitting at a less than stellar 30-30 record on the season, were able to hold off their home court against the Golden State Warriors 94-87. While some bettors might be inclined to call it a fluke or a matter of circumstance, more acute players would rightfully pass the credit to the Bulls rising young stars.
Granted, the Warriors were competing without their prized offseason acquisition. Durant was forced to sit out of this contest due to the knee injury he suffered last week. Nevertheless, Golden State has to find a way to stay competitive despite their injuries. We all witnessed how much the Warriors struggled in the playoffs last season once Curry was sidelined, and with yesterday’s action in the books most basketball betting sites will likely refrain from favoring the Warriors to heavily this postseason.
Those who are looking to make excuses for Golden State’s performance last night will likely point the finger to Curry. Although the former two-time MVP was draining jaw-dropping shots amidst a 23-point performance, there were several open shots that Curry failed to make – something we don’t often see from the reigning MVP.
Nevertheless, the Bulls have been thriving in the spotlight. In their last 18 home games that were broadcast by TNT, Chicago has gone undefeated. Clearly the Bulls love to play for a big sportsbook audience, and even the Warriors were unable to phase the motivated Bulls.
But Chicago would need more than a good amount of momentum to snap Golden State’s online NBA betting record of 146 straight games without posting back-to-back losses. Likewise, they would also need more than Jimmy Butler’s 22 point, 6 assists, 5 rebound performance.
In the end that help would not come from the Bulls’ veterans, like Dwayne Wade and Robin Lopez who both shot 5-15 from the field, but rather from their up and coming players. Bobby Portis, a second-year player out of Arkansas, was able to pick up the slack by posting 17 points, 13 rebounds, and one climatic block on Klay Thompson in the third quarter.
Paul Zipser, a rookie who was recruited from Germany, came off the bench to yield the Bulls 9 points on a slightly impressive 4-5 shooting. Christinao Felicio, another Bulls player recruited from a foreign country (Brazil), snagged 11 rebounds to help boost the Bulls to a lead.
It’s no online NBA betting understatement to say that these players are unknowns. But there’s also no denying that it was these young, foreign players who were able to dramatically lead Chicago to an upset sportsbook victory over arguably the greatest team in the league.
So while the Bulls are rejoicing over the resurgence of their younger players, the Warriors are now facing some unpleasant truths. Without Durant, are Golden State true title contenders? The Bulls are in no way, shape, or form an NBA elite, and if the Warriors aren’t able to overcome meager teams in the regular season, what chance will they have in the playoffs?
