It was a highly emotional Game 1 at the Garden, as Isaiah Thomas played with a heavy heart after learning his sister passed away from a car accident. There are only five instances since 2003 where a top seed lost the first round series opener, and all five of those teams came back to win Game 2 by an average of 11 points per game.The onus is certainly on Boston to step it up in Game 2, and history as a guide says they do. Boston got a great effort from Thomas, as well as Al Horford, but the rest of the team was a no-show shooting 19-55 at 34.5%. They have to do a better job off the glass, as Chicago had 20 offensive rebounds, and that was a difference maker. Despite the poor shooting from the supporting cast, and a horrible job off the glass, Boston never trailed by double-digits and was in the game all the way to the end. I think Coach Stevens gets this cleaned up, and Boston comes out for Game 2 with passion. Make the play on Boston.
This pick was released to clients on April 18, 2023 at 1:07PM ET.
NBA
Chicago at Boston
April 18, 2017
8:00 PM Eastern
1.5 units on Boston -7 (-105) (risk 1.5 to return 2.93)
Result:
LOSS
LOSS
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