Cavaliers at Bulls preview and gamethread

Can the Cavaliers keep rolling?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently an immovable object riding a double-digit win streak for the third time this season.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (50-10) vs Chicago Bulls (24-37)

Where: United Center – Chicago, IL

When: 8:00 p.m. EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass

Line: Cavs -12.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, DeAndre Hunter, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley – OUT (rest), Emoni Bates – OUT (two-way), Luke Travers – OUT (two-way), Nae’Qwan Tomlin – OUT (two-way).

Expected Bulls starting lineup: Josh Giddey, Coby White, Dalen Terry, Matas Buzelis, Zach Collins

Bulls injury report: Ayo Dosunmu – OUT (shoulder), Nikola Vucevic – OUT (calf), Patrick Williams – OUT (quadricep), E.J. Liddell – OUT (two-way), Lonzo Ball – OUT (wrist), Josh Giddey QUESTIONABLE – (quadricep), Kevin Huerter – QUESTIONABLE (knee), Emanuel Miller – QUESTIONABLE (two-way), Jahmir Young – QUESTIONABLE (two-way), Coby White – PROBABLE (thumb)

What to watch for

Friendship always wins

When the Cavaliers added De’Andre Hunter, they didn’t just add a key piece for a postseason run, but they also added someone very familiar to Ty Jerome. Hunter and Jerome share history as they were both on the 2019 National Championship for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Not only did the Cavaliers reunite two best friends, but they now possess two of the candidates to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Both players are in the midst of career years and constantly show their potential for impacting a game.

In the Cavaliers’ latest win on Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers discovered how powerful friendship can be. Jerome and Hunter were the ignitors of the Cavaliers comeback win combining for 57 points. It’s not hyperbolic to say that the tandem can swing an entire game on its head. The Blazers were in the driver’s seat until the bff’s got rolling.

Having two players at your disposal who can step into a game and flip the script is something that teams would trample over each other to possess. Jerome has turned heads, including his own teammates and coaches, all season. Now with Hunter in house, the Cavaliers felt like they caught two players at the peak of their powers. This is not only helpful for a deep postseason run, but also gives them flexibility in a plug-and-play situation when the opportunity arises.

The Cavaliers feel like they are truly a team with 10 players who can play on any postseason roster. Depth is something that can make or break championship runs. With the Cavaliers taking turns resting their stars, plugging in players like Jerome and Hunter lessens the blow by a significant margin.