The Cleveland Cavaliers welcome the Chicago Bulls to Quicken Loans Arena for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, May 4 and can be seen on TNT.
The Cavaliers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Celtics 101-93 in their last matchup. Kyrie Irving played a pivotal role, recording his sixth double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Dunleavy led the game in scoring by accounting for 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Cleveland’s sharp-shooting offense is ranked fourth in the league in that metric at 52.0%, while Chicago is second-best in the NBA at making opponents miss (47.3%). Furthermore, getting to the line could play a crucial role for the Bulls. They rank fifth in the league in free throw attempt rate (30.4). However, the Cavaliers are among the best in the NBA at keeping opponents off the charity stripe (ranking first at 23.8).
The odds for Cleveland and Chicago are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Cavaliers come into this game 53-29 Straight Up (SU) and 40-42 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 7-3 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (3-7).
As for their opponent, the Bulls have 50-32 SU and 39-43 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Chicago has an 8-8 SU and a 7-9 ATS record. The Bulls convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking third in the league at .783. 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, Cleveland beat Chicago, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Bulls 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
Ranked zeroth, Cleveland scores 0.0 points per game. On the other hand, Chicago gives up 0.0 and also ranks zeroth (in points allowed).
Cleveland and Chicago are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Cleveland scores an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Chicago allows 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Chicago Bulls won their last game by 54 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 15-7. Chicago is 10-2 in blowouts this season.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls are a tremendous 35-11. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a subpar record of 11-24.
When the Chicago Bulls allow at least 100 points they are 15-21, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are 42-5 when they reach the century mark.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 17th), while the Bulls rank 11th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
Ranked eighth in the NBA, Cleveland has an average field goal percentage of 45.8%. Chicago is 12-18 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
Cleveland averages 27.5 three point attempts per game, and Chicago attempts 22.3 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Cavaliers have a winning 34-21 record while the Bulls have a 13-16 record.
Cleveland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.62 this season (ranked 16th). Chicago ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.65 (ranked 15th).
With 45.7 per game, Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at third. Cleveland ranks 18th with 43.0.
The Chicago Bulls rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ opponents have an average turnover percentage of 13.3% this season. The Chicago Bulls are 23-17 SU when their TOV% is 13.3% or higher.
