Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers
United Center Arena
23.10.2022. 03:00
Last season Chicago was one of the most uncomfortable opponents for Cleveland. The Cavaliers lost 3 previous face-to-face matches. The odds of a win for the visitors have dropped, and we have plenty of reasons to agree with the people's opinion.
Chicago
The Bulls have tried to strengthen their bench this summer, and they've done a pretty good job of it overall. Andre Drummond has been working on free throws and three-pointers, and his signing looks like a win-win. Goran Dragić is still capable of playing 15-20 minutes off the bench, and Chicago picked up their first win of the regular season in large part thanks to his shooting from behind the arc. Ayo Dosunmu replaces the injured Lonzo Ball in the starting five and he helps the offense quite well in some games. DeMar DeRozan has perfected his mid-range shot and he doesn't seem likely to slow down this season. Zach LaVine missed his two starting games because of an injury, but he is expected to play against Cleveland.
After defeating Miami in their opening game, Billy Donovan's team failed on the road against Washington, 100-102. This time Chicago players failed their three-pointers and made only 7 of their 27 shots. The Bulls tried to crush their opponent with their size and center Tony Bradley received more than 30 minutes of playing time that night, and Bradley was one of the Bulls' most effective players on offense. DeRozan was good again: he added 6 rebounds and 6 assists to the 32 points.
Cleveland
It hasn't been enough time yet to evaluate the transfer of Donovan Mitchell, but Cleveland's new star is already showing a very high level of play. Mitchell has been constantly working on his fitness this summer and his coach David Alexander is the one who took Victor Oladipo to the next level. No wonder Donovan has become sharper and faster; he's improved a lot from the last playoffs. The bad news is that Darius Garland is injured: he won't play against Chicago. Considering how dependent the Cavaliers are on their playmakers, the loss of Ricky Rubio becomes even more apparent and Dylan Windler is injured as well as the Spanish point guard.
J.B. Bickerstaff's wards lost to Toronto by a score of 105-108 in the opening game of the regular season. First of all, it was noticeable that Cleveland's big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley felt like they were out of place and couldn't use them more often. The Cavaliers were losing the ball more often, allowing their opponents to make nine more shots. Donovan Mitchell was good in transitions but missed several open three-pointers. He had 31 points and 9 assists. Cedi Osman was a pleasant surprise: The Turkish forward made 3 three-pointers and scored 17 points.
Expert Betting Tips
The return of Zach LaVine is a positive sign for Chicago, but it's not certain that one of the Bulls' leaders will be back in good shape. The Bulls will play their 2nd game in 24 hours, while Cleveland has had time to recover. The home team got lucky in the recent game against Miami and Dragić made some unbelievable shots there. Cleveland is very stout defensively and has big centers and the visitors will surely put pressure on Drummond and Vučević. Mitchell is in great shape and can make up for Garland's absence.
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