The Chicago Bulls survived a furious fourth-quarter fightback by the Cleveland Cavaliers to hack out a thrilling 97-95 win on Opening Night. The Bulls now set their sights on a 2-0 start when they face the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center later tonight.
Who will emerge victorious in this Eastern Conference showdown? Read on below for a preview of this NBA matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Indiana vs. Toronto and San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City.
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Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets Preview
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
When: Wednesday, October 28, 2015, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Chicago Bulls (-5.5) vs. Brooklyn Nets (+5.5); total: 194.0 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Chicago Bulls
Some things just never change.
For all the talk of Hoiberg’s faster offensive pace, it was defense once again that propelled the Bulls in their series opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pau Gasol’s block of LeBron James and Jimmy Butler’s pass deflection in the dying seconds helped preserve the 97-95 win for Chicago. It was a morale-boosting victory for the Bulls who have now won five straight season openers at the United Center.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Bulls, playing a more open offense with Hoiberg than they did under former coach Tom Thibodeau, did not exactly light it up against the Cavs. They shot just 42.7 percent from the field on Tuesday. There were some signs, though, that Hoiberg’s offensive schemes are starting to sip in with his team. Nikola Mirotic reveled in his new role as a starter, leading the team with 19 points.
Derrick Rose added 18 points on 8-for-22 shooting with five assists for the Bulls, who had five players score in double figures. Wearing his now-familiar mask, Rose logged in an impressive 32:28 of game time against Cleveland. The question now is can Rose deliver that kind of performance tonight against the Nets in the second game of a back-to-back.
For the Bulls to record their second consecutive win tonight, they will need to push the pace more against Brooklyn. They scored just 15 fast break points against the Cavs on Opening Night. With injuries hounding Brooklyn’s backcourt at the present time, the opportunity is there for the Bulls’ guards to wreak havoc on the open court.
The Brooklyn Nets will enter their fourth season of play at Barclays Center with plenty of question marks hanging around their roster. Their point guard rotation is in complete shambles after Deron Williams’ decision to buy out his contract this past summer. The keys to the Nets’ offense have now been handed to Jarrett Jack and it’s still a mystery to this point how this streaky, score-first point guard will fare as a starter.
With Jack missing three straight practices with a sore hamstring, his status for tonight’s ballgame remains pretty much unclear. Head coach Lionel Hollins has already indicated that Shane Larkin will get the start tonight if Jack can’t go. He averaged 9.2 points and 3.4 assists per game this past preseason.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the Brooklyn squad, the onus is on veteran big man Brook Lopez to assume the leadership role this season. He led the Nets in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 17.2 points and 7.4 boards per game. He will look to create some damage against a Bulls frontline that allowed 42 points inside the paint in their opening win against the Cavs.
The good thing for the Nets tonight is that they will be playing the Chicago Bulls at home. They have made Brooklyn a difficult place to play for opposing teams the past three seasons. The Nets have accumulated a 72-51 record at Barclays Center.
