Game Info
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) vs. Chicago Bulls (2-2)
When: 8:00 PM (ET)
Where: The Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
TV/Radio: TNT, WTAM 1100
Lineups
Bulls: Derrick Rose, John Salmons, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah
Cavaliers: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Shaquille O’Neal
Injuries
Bulls: Tyrus Thomas (Flu), Aaron Gray (Left Fibula Stress Fracture), Jerome James (Right Achilles)
Cavaliers: Leon Powe (Left Knee Surgery)
Game Notes
* The Cavaliers face the Bulls on Thursday, marking the first time the team has faced a Central division opponent this season. Cleveland was 3-1 (.750) versus Chicago and 13-3 (.813) against the Central Division last season, their most wins against the division since its 2004 realignment and the best winning percentage ever against, which surpassed the 1991-92 team (22-6, .786).
* LeBron James holds the Cavaliers franchise record for most points scored in a game against Chicago (41), hitting that mark twice in the matter of four days last season in two Cleveland wins on Nov. 5 and Nov. 8. James became the first player since NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry (three games in 1974-75) to have 40 or more points in consecutive games versus Chicago.
* With their 102-90 win over the Wizards in Cleveland, the Cavaliers have now won three straight games overall (all by double digits), two of three at home this year and 41 of their last 44 regular season home games. It was the sixth straight defeat of the Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena with the victories coming by an average margin of 100.2 – 88.8, and the Cavs shooting .462 to the Wizards .428. Including the postseason, Cleveland has won more games (102) versus Washington than any other team.
* The victory over Washington included a 30-point swing after the Cavaliers overcame an 18-point second-quarter deficit. It marked the first time that the Cavaliers had trailed by more than 15 points at any point in any of Cleveland’s last 60 regular-season home games, which had been the longest current streak of that sort in the NBA.
* On Tuesday, Shaquille O’Neal posted a season-high 21 points on 7-9 (.778) shooting while pulling down eight rebounds in 28 minutes. The Diesel is averaging 11.8 points on .533 shooting, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks in 25.6 minutes per game.
* Against the Wizards, LeBron James tallied a game-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in 36 minutes. For the season, James is leading the team in points (25.2), rebounds (7.8) and assists (8.2 – ranks 5th) in 38.2 minutes.
* Entering the month of November, LeBron James (26.6 ppg) is the leading career scorer in this month among active players with a minimum of 50 games (A. Iverson – 26.4 ppg, K. Bryant – 24.4 ppg, D. Wade – 24.2 ppg).
* Versus Washington, Mo Williams tallied 15 points, while shooting 3-4 (.750) on three-point attempts, to go along with four rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes. On the season, Williams is averaging 17.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 35.2 minutes. During the Cavs’ three-game winning streak, they’ve held their opponents to just .413 (92-223) from the field and 85.3 points per game.
* Cleveland’s defense so far on the season ranks 6th in the NBA in opponent points per game (90.4), 5th in defensive field goal percentage (.427), tied for 11th in blocks (5.6) per game and is 11th in steals (7.8) per game. The team is only allowing 30.0 points in the paint, the 2nd fewest in the league and ranks 6th in giving up second chance points at only 11.2 points per game.
* On Tuesday, the Cavs connected on 11-26 (.423) from beyond the arc and over the last four games, the Cavs have made 39-82 (.476) of their three-point attempts. With Mo Williams (13-23, .565 – 10th in the NBA) and Daniel Gibson (12-23, .522 – tied for 16th in the NBA) leading the team, the Cavaliers are one of the most improved teams in shooting three-pointers from last season (.393) to this season (.455). That mark ranks 3rd in the NBA behind Phoenix and Orlando.
* During this three-game winning streak, the Cavaliers bench has scored at least 20 points in each game. On Tuesday, Daniel Gibson came off the bench and scored eight of his 14 points in the second period. Gibson shot 5-8 (.625) from the field, including 4-5 (.800) from beyond the arc. Gibson has now scored in double figures in three of the team’s five games.
What 2 Watch 4
1. Consistency – Right now the Cavs are playing well in some spurts but not so well in others. The Cavs need to find their rhythm and play well through all 4 quarters in order to beat good teams, which includes Chicago.
2. Get the key guys some rest – After tonight’s game, the team will shoot directly to New York where they will play again tomorrow night against the Knicks. Best-case scenario tonight is the Cavs get a hold of the game by the 4th quarter and Mike Brown can rest some of his key guys.
3. Field-goal shooting – The Cavs have been shooting the 3-ball well and have been shooting the ball from the line decently but have not shot the ball well from the field. Considering most of their points will come from the field, they will need to up their % on 2-points shots of 44%.
The Pick: Cavs 101, Bulls 91
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