The Central Division’s top two teams will lock horns when the Cleveland Cavaliers (49-27) welcome the Chicago Bulls (46-30) to Quicken Loans Arena. Action begins at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 5 and can be seen on ABC.
The Cavaliers played well in their last game, dismantling the Heat 114-88 on Thursday. LeBron James was a key piece with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off an 88-82 win against the Pistons on Friday. Pau Gasol claimed his 50th double-double of the season with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Cleveland’s upper-echelon offense is ranked fourth in the league in that metric at 51.9%, while Chicago is second-best in the NBA at making opponents miss (47.4%). Furthermore, getting to the line could play a crucial role for the Bulls. They rank fourth in the league in free throw attempt rate (30.5). However, the Cavaliers are among the best in the NBA at keeping opponents off the charity stripe (ranking second at 23.8).
The Cavaliers lead the season series against the Bulls two games to one, but fell short in their most recent game, 113-98. Derrick Rose had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 30 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and one steal.
The odds for Cleveland and Chicago are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Cavaliers have gone 49-27 Straight Up (SU) and 39-37 Against The Spread (ATS). They find ways to win against the Central, with a SU record of 8-5. ATS, however, they are only 5-8.
Over on the other bench, the Bulls have a record of 35-41 ATS and 46-30 SU. Against fellow division members, Chicago has an 8-7 SU and a 6-9 ATS record. The Bulls convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking third in the league at .785. The Bulls have controlled the glass with an average of 45.7 rebounds per game, third in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, Chicago beat Cleveland, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. The Bulls also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Chicago held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers four times, while Cleveland was never able to do so in their most recent 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
Cleveland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 7 games at home.
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Cleveland is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games when playing Chicago.
Cleveland is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Chicago.
Cleveland is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Chicago.
Cleveland is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Chicago.
Cleveland ranks eighth in points per game with 103.5, while Chicago ranks 11th in points allowed with an average of 98.1 given up.
Cleveland and Chicago are well matched, ranking seventh in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Cleveland puts up an average of 103.5 points per home game, while Chicago gives up 98.7 points per away game on average.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their last game by 26 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Chicago Bulls are 9-2. Cleveland is 15-6 in blowouts this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bulls are 32-10 on the season. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100, they are a poor 10-22.
When the Chicago Bulls allow at least 100 points they are 14-20, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are 39-5 when they reach the century mark.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 16th), while the Bulls rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with a FG% of 45.9%. When their opponents have a similar or higher FG%, the Chicago Bulls are 12-17.
Cleveland attempts an average of 27.2 three pointers per game, and Chicago attempts 22.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Cavaliers have a 30-20 record while the Bulls have an 11-14 record.
Cleveland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.63 this season (ranked 16th). Chicago ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.65 (ranked 14th).
The Chicago Bulls are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.7 rebounds per game (ranked third). The Cleveland Cavaliers rank 19th, rebounding 42.9 times each contest.
The Chicago Bulls rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 19th in defensive rebounding.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ opponents have an average turnover percentage of 13.4% this season. The Chicago Bulls are 22-15 SU when their TOV% is 13.4% or higher.
