The 2015-16 NBA regular season is finally back and it will be serving three high-quality games that’ll surely satisfy your basketball cravings this evening. One of those games will feature LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers kicking off their campaign on the road as they face the Chicago Bulls at United Center. Can James and his Cavaliers open up the season with a win?
Read on below for a full breakdown of this marquee Eastern Conference bout. For more NBA game previews, click here for Pelicans at Warriors and here for Wizards at Magic. Enjoy.
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Betting Preview
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
When: Tuesday, October 27, 2015, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Cavaliers (+3) vs. Chicago Bulls (-3) – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be legitimate contenders again this year. They’ll have their Big Three in LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love guiding them for possibly a return trip to the Finals. But before looking that far ahead, the Cavs are currently in a pretty unfavourable situation with Irving (knee) and Iman Shumpert (wrist) still recovering from their respective injuries.
The absence of their two starters is going to be a tough void to fill indeed. Even so, they’ll have to endure for a while and try to capture the victory when they lock horns with Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls at United Center tonight. This marks the first time that the Wine and Gold open a season on the road.
James and Love are definitely going to carry most of the offensive load in this game. Both All-Stars have fared well opposite their Central Division rivals, averaging 28.4 points and 17.1 points per game, respectively, in their careers against Chicago.
Moreover, the returning Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson could be vital factors in this game especially in providing the Cavaliers some crucial rebounds and second-chance points. Thompson, who signed an $82 million dollar extension just a few days ago, averaged close to a double-double last season with 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. Varejao, meanwhile, posted 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in the same year despite playing only 26 games due to a torn Achilles.
However, it’s going to take a lot of effort to overcome Chicago’s defense that only allowed 97.1 points per games last season, the fourth-lowest in the league. Plus, the likes of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol are going to provide some headaches to Cleveland’s own defense through their playmaking capabilities.
Cleveland is 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS in their past 10 meetings with Chicago.
The Chicago Bulls made the playoffs for the seventh-consecutive time last year but fell short again after being eliminated in the second round. That disappointing setback called upon a new era in Chicago as they hired a new head coach in Fred Hoiberg during the offseason. Now, the Bulls will strive to finally get over the hump when they begin their title hunt against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.
The roster still looks relatively the same for the Bulls. They’ll have Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler leading the backcourt, while the duo of power forward Pau Gasol and center Joakim Noah manning the shaded lane. But Noah’s starting position seems to be in jeopardy after a forgettable performance in their 2014 campaign, during which he tallied just 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds across 67 games.
Furthermore, Rose, who averaged 17.7 points and 4.9 assists per contest last season, is still recovering from a left orbital fracture. Although, the former MVP is expected to be in the line-up come opening night despite not being at 100 percent.
Luckily for the Bulls, they have the luxury of having Butler and Gasol to ignite the offense. Butler, who won the league’s Most Improved Player Award last year, is coming off a career season wherein he posted averages of 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 dimes per contest. Gasol, on the other hand, proved to everyone that he still has some fuel left in the tank by averaging All-Star numbers (18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds).
They’ll also have a much-improved Nikola Mirotic, who averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in his rookie season, to continue providing some solid contributions on a nightly basis.
The biggest question mark for Chicago, though, is how will Hoiberg’s system mesh with the current Bulls’ roster that has been used to playing under defensive-minded head coach in Tom Thibodeau for five straight years. It’ll definitely interesting to see how the skills of each player will be utilized.
Chicago is 5-2 in its last seven season-opening games.
Writer’s Prediction
James dazzles in this one but the Bulls (-3) still prevail, 92-88.
