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Key: Running with the Bulls
As the postseason rapidly approaches, the Cavaliers round out their toughest road stretch of the season on Thursday night in Chicago – having played six of their last seven on the road.
With Boston losing to the Bucks on Wednesday night, the Cavaliers and Celtics are locked in a virtual tie atop the Eastern Conference. After tonight’s contest in Chicago, the Cavaliers have eight games remaining – five at home, including a Friday night matchup with Philly at The Q.
The Wine and Gold are coming off one of their worst losses of the season – a 103-74 drubbing at the hands of the Spurs on Monday night in San Antonio. In that loss – Cleveland’s fourth in its last six outings – the Spurs shot 64 percent in the second period, using a 24-8 run to pull away for the season sweep.
The Bulls – who’ve gone 5-9 in March and sit 1.5 games behind the Pacers in the Eastern Conference playoff picture – are also seeking the season sweep over the Cavaliers on Thursday night. In the Bulls’ three wins over the Cavs this year, they’ve won by an average of 12.0 points – including a 117-99 decision back on February 25 at The Q.
Key: Fit for a King
LeBron James is more concerned with getting his squad into a good rhythm heading into the postseason, but he is (once again) on the verge to making history -- needing just 24 points to pass Shaquille O’Neal for 7th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
LeBron’s first appearance in Chicago was marked by arrival at the United Center in full Chicago Cubs gear – with his infamous “honeymoon’s over” screed following that loss.
The King, who’s still bothered by the scratched cornea he suffered last Friday night in Charlotte, comes into the contest having put together another sensational month of March – tallying nine double-doubles and four triple-doubles, averaging 27.2 points, 10.5 boards and 8.3 assists through 13 games.
And the four-time MVP has always had good individual success against Chicago – netting 20 or more points in 10 straight outings against the Bulls – including four outings of at least 30. Through the first three meetings this season, LeBron is averaging 29.0 points on .581 shooting to go with 10.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds.
James will match up on several occasions against Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic, who’s started the last five games and is averaging 23.7 ppg over his last three – with a pair of 28-point performances in that span.
Key: Straight to the Point
With Dwyane Wade’s season coming to an end on March 15, Rajon Rondo has tried to pick up the slack as the Bulls attempt a late-season rally, trying to keep from missing the postseason in two straight seasons.
The man who’s twice led the league in assists has had an up-and-down season with the Bulls – losing his starting job near the start of the New Year and tallying double-digit helpers only twice since then.
Over the seven games that Wade’s been out, Rondo has averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 assists and is coming off an 18-point performance in Chicago’s Sunday night win over Milwaukee – going 8-of-11 from the floor and adding nine boards and nine assists.
On Monday night in San Antonio, the stingy Spurs snapped Kyrie Irving’s career-best 20-point streak at 21 games – holding the four-time All-Star to just eight points on 4-for-13 shooting, tying a season-low.
In Cleveland’s home loss to the Bulls back on February 25, Kyrie finished with 34 points on 13-for-25 shooting, adding team-highs in rebounds (9) and assists (7).
Key: Seeking Swish
One of the key components to the Cavaliers finding their form with the postseason rapidly approaching is to get J.R. Smith into a rhythm.
Swish has had one of the most difficult seasons of his career – both on and off the floor – and would love nothing more than to salvage it with a strong late-season run.
The 13-year vet has averaged just 6.8 points on 31 percent shooting since returning from a thumb injury 11 games ago. And he’s continued to struggle since being re-inserted into the starting lineup on March 22 – shooting 32 percent from the floor and 30 percent from long-range while averaging just 5.8 points per.
He’ll be up against an opponent that’s had no problem filling it up this season in three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler. The former Marquette star comes into the contest averaging a career-best 23.5 ppg – having posted four 40-point games this season and a 52-point outburst in a January 2 meeting with Charlotte.
Since Wade’s injury, Butler has tried willing Chicago to the Playoffs – averaging 27.3 points and 10.8 assists over his past four outings – dropping 37 points on the Raptors last week and 36 more in a loss to the Sixers six days ago.
Key: Bench Trial
In Monday night’s loss to the Spurs, the Cavaliers second unit didn’t combine to score a point until the second half. They’ll get Iman Shumpert back on Friday night in Chicago, but Kyle Korver is still not quite ready – nursing the sore left foot that’s kept him out of eight of his last 11 games.
Richard Jefferson has been solid all season and, even with a poor showing on Monday in San Antonio, is shooting 53 percent from the floor over his past nine games. Channing Frye has notched double-figures in all three meetings against Chicago this season, averaging 12.3 points on 54 percent shooting, including 48 percent from long-range. Frye has tallied double-figures in 30 games so far this season.
Unlike the Cavs, the Bulls’ reserves are a young bunch – led by rookie Denzel Valentine, who finished with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting in his last appearance in Cleveland. Joffrey Lauvergne was still with the Thunder when he finished with 13 points and six boards off the bench against the Wine and Gold.
Christiano Felicio – who netted 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting to go with five boards and a +19 number – has missed the previous three games with a tailbone injury, but he could return for Thursday night’s meeting at the United Center.