The Chicago Bulls welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to the United Center for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, May 8 and can be seen on ESPN.
The Bulls enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Cavaliers 99-92 on Monday. Pau Gasol played a pivotal role, recording his 54th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Kyrie Irving had a game-high 30 points.
Keep tabs on Chicago’s ability to get to the free throw line. They’re ranked fifth in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (30.4), but Cleveland is among the best in the league at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking first by yielding a free throw attempt rate of 23.8). Also, the upper-echelon offense of the Cavaliers ranks fourth in effective field goal percentage at 52.0%, while the Bulls are second-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (47.3%).
The odds for Chicago and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Bulls have gone 50-32 Straight Up (SU) and 39-43 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-8 SU and 7-9 ATS against divisional opponents. The Bulls are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .783 from the free throw line. The rebounding edge goes to the Bulls in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 45.7 boards per game.
In the other locker room, the Cavaliers have a record of 40-42 ATS and 53-29 SU. Cleveland has a good SU record over the last 10 games (7-3), but have a 3-7 record ATS.
In their previous meeting this season, Chicago beat Cleveland, 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
Chicago’s offense and Cleveland’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Chicago scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Cleveland gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Chicago and Cleveland are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Chicago puts up an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Cleveland allows 0.0 points per away game on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls are an exceptional 35-11. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a losing 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 register triple digits.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 17th). The Bulls rank 11th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
The Chicago Bulls average 96.5 possessions per game and 1.045 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.4) but more points per possession (1.081).
Cleveland has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.0% (ranked fourth in the league}. Chicago is a subpar 6-13 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Chicago makes an average of 21.7 assists per game (ranked 14th). Cleveland ranks higher in assists with 22.1 (ranked 10th).
The Chicago Bulls average 5.8 blocks per game for a rank of fifth. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower (25th), earning 4.1 blocks each game.
The Chicago Bulls rank sixth in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
The Cleveland Cavaliers make an average of 7.4 steals per game. When the Chicago Bulls allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 31-20.
