The Chicago Bulls may have already lost twice to the Cleveland Cavaliers this season but don’t expect them to be fazed when they play and LeBron James and company later tonight. For one, the Bulls are riding high at the moment, extending their winning streak to three games following their 104-86 conquest of the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Will the Bulls finally steal a win against Cleveland? Or will the Cavs win back-to-back games before heading into the All-Star Break?
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Preview
Where: United Center, Chicago
When: Thursday, February 12, 2015, 8:00PM ET
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls; total: 201.5—view all NBA lines
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
[sc:NBA240banner ]For the Cavs, winning makes it easier to move on from off-the-court issues. And games like their 113-93 road win on Wednesday against the Miami Heat is just what the doctor ordered for a Cleveland team that has been bothered lately by a certain tweet from LeBron James, supposedly pertaining to Kevin Love’s attitude.
Love, however, finds himself in another unfortunate predicament as he suffered an eye injury in the win against the Miami Heat. Love barely played in the second half of that game, finishing the contest with 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists. He’s likely going to be absent in tonight’s ball game, meaning the Cavs will probably choose between Tristan Thompson or Shawn Marion as Love’s replacement in the starting five.
Thompson, who scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Miami, is averaging 7.1 PPG and 10.0 RPG over the last 10 Cavs outings. Marion, on the other hand only has 1.9 PPG and 2.1 RPG during the same stretch.
Without Love, the remaining Big Three members in Kyrie Irving and LeBron James will be left with most of the scoring duties. James averaged 31.0 PPG in the previous two meetings with the Bulls. He scored just 18 points against Miami, but got ample support on offense from Irving (15 points), Timofey Mozgov (20) and Iman Shumpert, who scored 13 points off the bench.
The Cavs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Now comes the hard part for the Bulls. After winning three-straight games against weaker competition in the New Orleans Pelicans, the Orlando Magic, and the Sacramento Kings, respectively, Chicago is now bound for a colossal showdown with the Cavs later tonight.
Cleveland has outplayed the Bulls inside over the two teams’ previous two meetings, wherein the Cavs outscored Chicago in the paint, 104-74. Chicago’s leaky inside defense has been repeatedly taken advantage by its opponents this season, as the Bulls are giving up 42.9 points inside the paint per game. This is somewhat surprising, considering that they are tops in the league in blocks with 6.4 a game behind a reliable trio of rim protectors in Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Taj Gibson.
The current run of strong performances by Pau Gasol gives the Bulls hope that the Spaniard is about to come up big in the next showdown with Cleveland. Gasol averaged just 13.0 points on 10-for-32 shooting in Chicago’s two previous losses to the Cavs, but is putting up 23.7 PPG and pulling down 15.3 RPG during the team’s last three games. Gasol towered over the competition in the Sacramento game, registering another double-double by pouring in 26 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.
With the absence of shooting guard Jimmy Butler (shoulder) for tonight’s ball game, more will be asked from the likes of Gasol, especially in terms of scoring. The Bulls, however, should stand to receive some support from Tony Snell, who is set to see his minutes increase while Butler is out. Snell recorded a career-high 26 points in 41 minutes against Sacramento.
The under is 3-0 in the Bulls’ last three home games.
