Cleveland is on a two-game winning streak thanks to a 113-93 win over the Miami Heat last night. Chicago is riding a three-game winning streak, the latest coming in a 103-86 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
The Cavs have won both games against the Bulls this season, winning 114-108 in overtime on Halloween night and 108-94 on January 19.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (33-21)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.8 ppg, 5.3 apg
G J.R. Smith – 12.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 7.4 apg
F Tristan Thompson – 9.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg
Chicago Bulls (33-20)
G Derrick Rose –18.7 ppg, 5.0 apg
G Tony Snell – 4.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg
F Mike Dunleavy – 9.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
F Pau Gasol – 18.4 ppg, 12.2 rpg
C Joakim Noah – 7.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg
What to watch for:
Will Kevin Love or Jimmy Butler play?
Both Kevin Love (corneal abrasion) and Jimmy Butler (strained shoulder) suffered injuries in their last games and are listed as day-to-day. It would be easy for teams to sit them out with this being the last game before the All-Star break, but with this game holding playoff implications - Cleveland is 1/2 game behing Chicago for the third spot in the Eastern Conference - they might be compelled to play. If one guy can go and the other can't, he'll give his team a major advantage.
Can Chicago shake their home woes?
The Bulls have a 14-11 home record so far this season, the worst mark of any team with a winning record in the Eastern conference. Chicago hasn't been able to figure out why they've struggled in the United Center so much, but blame it on a lack on intensity. They need to fix that tonight if they want to beat the red-hot Cavs.
Prediction: Cavs win 104-97
This game will be competitive throughout, but Cleveland has been playing so well lately winning 15 of their last 16 games. I think they keep that rolling into the All-Star break, even without Kevin Love.
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