NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference - Semifinals
Tip-off: Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Chicago -2.0, Total: 196.0

The Cavaliers and Bulls head to Chicago on Friday for Game 3 of this 1-1 series.

After losing Game 1 at home, the Cavaliers came out and played with tons of desperation in Game 2. Cleveland jumped all over Chicago, winning 106-91 as a 5.5-point favorite. The team held the Bulls to just 40.5% shooting from the field on the defensive end and also caught fire offensively. The Cavaliers were just 37-for-83 (44.6%) from the field, but they were an outrageous 12-for-26 (46.2%) from behind the arc. They also outrebounded the Bulls 59-48 and turned the ball over just eight times compared to 12 for Chicago. The Cavaliers have had trouble in Chicago in recent years though. They are a lousy 3-7 SU and 5-5 ATS in their past 10 trips to the United Center. Cleveland has also been terrible as an underdog this season, going 3-12 ATS in those games. The Cavs have, however, gone 33-21 ATS after covering in four or five of their past six games over the past two seasons. The Bulls, meanwhile, are 17-6 ATS when revenging a loss versus an opponent by 10 points or more over the past two seasons. The Cavs are without PF Kevin Love (Shoulder) and C Anderson Varejao (Achilles) for the rest of the playoffs, and SG Iman Shumpert (Groin) is questionable. The Bulls are going to enter this game at full strength.

The Cavaliers came out with tons of intensity in Game 2 and SF LeBron James (26.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.7 APG, 2.3 SPG in playoffs) had 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in what was a truly dominant performance. James will need to play with the same intensity for the remainder of the series. PG Kyrie Irving (24.0 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG in playoffs) had 21 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field in the victory. He was getting to the line (10-for-12 FT) and must continue to take high percentage shots moving forward. He was forcing things a bit in Game 1. SG Iman Shumpert (10.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) had 15 points and seven boards in Game 2, but he hurt his groin and is questionable for Game 3. Shumpert would be a big loss for the team, as he is playing excellent defense and knocking down shots when James and Irving find him spotting up. PF Tristan Thompson (6.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG in playoffs) had five points and 12 boards in his Game 2 start. Cleveland needs him to be strong on the glass and sound defensively against Pau Gasol. The Cavs will be happy to welcome back SG J.R. Smith (9.8 PPG in playoffs) for Game 3. Smith was suspended the first two games of this series, and will provide the team with a consistent scoring option moving forward.

The Bulls did not come out with the necessary amount of fire in Game 2, but they’ll be happy to head back to Chicago after earning a win in Cleveland in Game 1. The team has now taken home court advantage in the series and will be excited to head back to the United Center. SF Jimmy Butler (23.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.5 SPG in playoffs) is the most important player for the Bulls in this series. He had 18 points, two steals and a block in Game 2, but he did not do as well defensively as he did in Game 1. He is going to need to contain LeBron James moving forward and he’s also going to have to do a better job rebounding the ball, as he had just two rebounds in Game 2 after averaging 5.8 RPG during the regular season. PG Derrick Rose (19.1 PPG, 6.8 APG, 4.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) had 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Wednesday. He has looked very good in this series, but he could do a better job of shooting the basketball. He is just 17-for-46 from the field in this series and must be more efficient in Game 3. PF Pau Gasol (16.3 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.3 BPG in playoffs) was a non-factor in Game 2. He had just 11 points and four boards in 29 minutes of action and will need to be better the rest of the series. He has a major height advantage over Tristan Thompson and must use it to score in the post.