Indiana at Chicago

The Chicago Bulls were not in the conversation at the beginning of the season for top honors in the NBA. But here they are opening vs. Indiana as the top seed with their NBA best 62-20 mark on the season. The Bulls were an impressive 36-5 at home on the season. The Bulls closed the season with nine straight wins. But some are looking at the fact they were 0-5 ATS down the stretch as a favorite of 9 or more, and may be deterred by the big number here. I'm not. Unlike the regular season, big playoffs favorites of 10 or more in this round own a 31-19 ATS mark. The Pacers are in the playoffs by default as they are not a playoff-caliber team at 37-45. Teams that win less than 40 games that play in the postseason are 4-14 ATS and 0-7 ATS as a double digit dog. Chicago covers this one.