Cavs vs Bulls preview and gamethread

The Cavs open up NBA Cup group play against the visiting Chicago Bulls

The undefeated Cavs open up their NBA Cup group play at home against the Bulls.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (13-0) vs Chicago Bulls (5-7)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland OH

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 15th

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass

Line: Cavs -10.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Jarret Allen – PROBABLE (leg), Sam Merrill – OUT (ankle), Max Strus – OUT (ankle), Emoni Bates – OUT (knee), Evan Mobley – PROBABLE (illness)

Expected Bulls starting lineup: Coby White, Josh Giddey, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic

Bulls injury report: Lonzo Ball – OUT (wrist), Adama Sanogo – PROBABLE (knee), DJ Stewart – OUT (G League)

Fear the Sword will be hosting a live stream watch party for select games this year on Playback. Join Corey Walsh and Tony Pesta as they react to all the action.

What to watch for

Delaying the inevitable

The Cavs have outperformed expectations, that much is clear. Nobody expected them to be undefeated still less than two weeks before Thanksgiving. Lately, the Cavs have looked a little beaten up. They still have not had multiple days of rest in between games, and it is starting to show. The heavily undermanned Philadelphia 76ers without Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid were leading Cleveland at halftime. And let’s not forget that these very same Bulls just a few days ago took the Cavs to the wire, before Darius Garland put a stop to it.

The Cavs will lose eventually, that much is certain. But to have their first loss of the season come in the NBA Group Play round would be a little extra disappointing. The Boston Celtics losing their opening Group Play game actually gives the Cavs an advantage in the NBA Cup – if you care about that sort of thing.

Scoring in bunches

Don’t be deceived by the record and stereotypes – the Bulls offense is good. They are 10th in the league in points per game, first in pace, seventh in three-point attempts per game, and 10th in three-point make percentage. Chicago has young, dynamic guards and a volume scorer in Zach LaVine who can get hot at any moment. The Bulls just scored 125 on the New York Knicks, who are known for their defense (at least in the past).

The Cavs are no slouches themselves, but they have been looking gassed as of late on both sides of the ball. They have had deficits late in their last three games, including against the Bulls, and have been forced to dig their way out. The Cavs have managed to win those games, but eventually the dam will break. If the Bulls get out to a lead and the Cavs have to once again try and come from behind, tiredness and dead legs could catch up to them.

Jarrett Allen revenge game

While the Cavs managed to beat the Bulls last time out, it took some late-game heroics from Darius Garland to seal the deal. Jarrett Allen was not very good in that game, failing to score at least 10 points or collect at least 10 rebounds. Tonight would be a good opportunity to rectify that poor play, and it’s certainly possible against a team that allows the second-most shot attempts at the rim per Cleaning the Glass.