The Chicago Bulls will travel to Quicken Loans Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, May 6 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 was a key piece, recording his sixth double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Dunleavy was the game’s top scorer, 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).
Over on the other bench, 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.
With the Cavaliers’ last win against Chicago, they evened up the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 5-5 SU. On the other hand, the Bulls hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Chicago held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers four times in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Cleveland never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
Cleveland 6-0-1 SU in its last 7 games.
Cleveland 22-1-1 SU in its last 24 games at home.
Cleveland is 5-14-1 SU in its last 20 games, when playing Chicago.
Cleveland is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games, when playing at home against Chicago.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a winning 11-5 SU record against the Central Division, while the Chicago Bulls have split their meetings with divisional opponents, 8-8.
Chicago’s offense and Cleveland’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Chicago puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while Cleveland allows 0.0 points per game.
Chicago and Cleveland are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Chicago scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Cleveland gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
Cleveland has a stellar 39-7 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. Chicago is 15-22 when it puts up under 100.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an underachieving 14-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls are 35-10 when they hit triple digits.
The Cavaliers have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.1). The Bulls are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.4 (ranked 11th).
Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game than Chicago, with 95.4 compared to 96.5. However, the Cavaliers score an average of 1.081 points per possession, more than the 1.045 that the Bulls score.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 52.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Chicago Bulls have a losing 6-13 record.
On average, the Cleveland Cavaliers make 22.1 assists per game and the Chicago Bulls make 21.7. Cleveland is ranked 10th, while Chicago is ranked 14th.
Cleveland makes an average of 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 25th). Chicago ranks higher in blocks with 5.8 (ranked fifth).
The Cleveland Cavaliers rank 11th in offensive rebounding, while the Chicago Bulls rank seventh in defensive rebounding.
On average, Cleveland makes 7.4 steals per game. Chicago has a winning 31-20 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
