Thursday, February 18, 2016

Quicken Loans Arena

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Chicago Bulls travel to Quicken Loans Arena to play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, February 18, 2016. The opening line for this game has Cleveland as 12 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 207.5.

The Bulls come into this game with an overall record of 27-25 and a road record of 11-15. They are 3rd in the Central Division. They currently have a point differential of -0.7 as they are averaging 101.2 points per game while giving up 101.9 per contest. Chicago is 6-4 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 16-15. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Cavaliers have an overall record of 38-14 and a home record of 22-4. They currently are 1st in the Central Division. They are averaging 102.9 points per game and surrendering 96.9, good for a point differential of 5.9. Cleveland has a division record of 4-4 and a conference record of 22-9. In their last 10 games they are 8-2.

Derrick Rose comes into this contest averaging 15.9 points per game while playing 32.2 minutes per night so far this season for the Bulls. He pulls down 3.5 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.8 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 41% while his free throw percentage is currently at 80%. Pau Gasol averages 17 points per game in 31.9 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.4 assists per contest and 10.9 rebounds per game for Chicago. His field goal percentage is 48% for the year while his free throw percentage is 81%.

LeBron James averages 25 points per game while playing 35.9 minutes per contest this year for the Cavaliers. He grabs 7.1 rebounds per game and has 6.5 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 50% and his free throw percentage currently is at 72%. Kevin Love averages 15.7 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.1 minutes per contest. He also averages 10.3 rebounds per contest and 2.4 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage is 80%.

Chicago averages 101.2 points per contest this season which ranks them 17th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -0.7 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 27th. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 8th in the league. They average 56.8 rebounds per game and 21.9 assists per game which ranks them 2nd and 14th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 13th with 14.2 per game. The Bulls allow 101.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 17th in the league. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 2nd and 5th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 55.5 rebounds a game which ranks 28th and they give up 22.4 assists per contest which puts them in 20th place in the league. They force 12 turnovers per game which ranks them 29th in the league.

Cleveland averages 102.9 points per game this year which ranks them 8th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 5.9 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them sitting in the 9th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 9th in the NBA. They average 53.3 rebounds per game and 22.3 assists per contest which ranks them 9th and 12th respectively. In the turnover department the Cavaliers rank 8th with 13.5 per game. The Cavaliers allow 96.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 4th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 12th and 9th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 49.5 rebounds a game which ranks 4th and they give up 21.2 assists per contest which puts them in 12th place in the league. The Cavaliers force 13.5 turnovers per game which ranks them 25th in the NBA.

The Bulls average 102.8 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 95.3 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -2.3 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -15.7 per contest. The Bulls have an offensive rating of 103.5 and a defensive rating of 104.2. In terms of pace they average 96.1 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 48%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they shoot 3 pointers on 23% of their shots. Chicago turns the ball over an average of 12.7 times per 100 possessions and they force 10.7 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 47%.

The Cavaliers score 106.1 ppg at home and they have averaged 113 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of 14.7 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 7.8 points per game. The Cavaliers rating on offense is 109.6 and they have a defensive rating of 103.3. They get 92.9 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 52%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they attempt 3 pointers on 34% of their shot attempts. Cleveland turns the ball over on 12.6 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 12.8 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 49%.

Chicago Bulls Betting Trends

The Chicago Bulls are 19-33-0 against the spread

The Chicago Bulls are 27-24-1 against the over/under

Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Trends

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 23-27-2 against the spread

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 26-26-0 against the over/under

Chicago Bulls Injuries

02/17/16 F Taj Gibson Foot "?" Thursday vs. Cleveland
02/09/16 G Jimmy Butler Knee out indefinitely
01/27/16 F Nikola Mirotic Appendix out indefinitely
01/25/16 C Joakim Noah Shoulder out indefinitely

Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries

02/17/16 F Kevin Love Shoulder injured last game, probable Thursday vs. Chicago
02/17/16 G Matthew Dellavedova Hamstring "?" Thursday vs. Chicago

Josh's Pick: Take Chicago

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