Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers 3/26/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream
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Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers Matchup Preview (3/26/22)
The 5th seed Chicago Bulls (42-31) face the 6th seed Cleveland Cavaliers (41-32) in a game with seeding ramifications. The Cavaliers are only one game back of the Bulls, and the Raptors are tied with the Cavaliers. One of those three teams will be in the play-in, so this game would be a huge win for either team. The Bulls are 4-10 since the All-Star break with the 27th Offensive Rating and 23rd Defensive Rating. They just lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 126-109. DeMar DeRozan was out, so Zach LaVine handled the scoring burden. He scored 39 points on 52.1 FG% and 36.3 3PT%. Nikola Vucevic scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Off the bench, Coby White produced 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Pelicans saw Devonte’ Graham (30 points) and CJ McCollum (25 points, 6 assists) put up great numbers. Lonzo Ball is still out for the Bulls, but DeMar DeRozan is expected to play. Alex Caruso is a game time decision, but the important thing is getting DeRozan back on the court.
The Cavaliers are 5-5 since Jarrett Allen’s injury with the 16th Offensive Rating and 22nd Defensive Rating. They just turned in an uninspiring performance against the Toronto Raptors in a critical game. The Raptors won 117-104 off of Pascal Siakam’s monster game – 35 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists. OG Anunoby hit 4 threes and added 14 points in his return from a lengthy injury. Darius Garland had a double-double (18 points, 10 assists), but the Cavaliers needed more scoring from him. Lauri Markkanen scored 20 points on 60 FG%, and Lamar Stevens had 16 points off the bench. Both teams shot the ball well, but the Cavaliers lost the turnover (-5 TOV) and offensive rebounding (-4 OREB) battle. Jarrett Allen is out again against the Bulls, and Rajon Rondo is questionable.
Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Odds
The Bulls are 2-1 against the Cavaliers this season; the most recent contest was a 101-91 Bulls win on March 12th. For the season series, Nikola Vucevic is averaging 20.6 PPG and 12.6 RPG. DeMar DeRozan is averaging 27.5 PPG and 6.5 APG, but in two games. Darius Garland has produced 23 PPG and 8.3 APG. In this final matchup, the Bulls will have too much firepower for the Cavaliers to match. The Cavaliers struggle to guard premier wing scorers, and the Bulls have two of them. I expect this game to finish around 217-222 total points. Both defenses have been bad, but the offenses have not been great either.
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TV Schedule
Date: 3/26/22
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Arena: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, OH
Channel: NBA League Pass
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Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup
PG: Alex Caruso
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Javonte Green
C: Nikola Vucevic
Chicago Bulls Analysis
Zach LaVine reminded the NBA that he can absolutely score the ball as a number one option. He’s at 24.8 PPG on an efficient 48/39/85 shooting and can score from anywhere on the court. The Pelicans couldn’t stop LaVine from getting to his spots, but he also made some tough contested shots. Okoro is a decent option to guard LaVine, yet LaVine will still put up numbers. Because the Cavaliers start Lauri Markkanen at small forward, they do not have an answer for DeMar DeRozan. Do they put Lauri on Javonte Green and hope Evan Mobley can limit DeRozan? As good as Mobley has been, he is ill-equipped to handle DeRozan’s mid range game.
Coby White is a hit or miss player, but he can be a lethal microwave scorer when he is cooking. The Cavaliers bench features LeVert, Stevens, and Osman, so the Bulls need production from White to match them. Patrick Williams returned for the Bulls three games ago after missing most of the season. He’s still rusty and only playing 15-20 minutes per game. When he is ready to ramp up his minutes, the Bulls will finally have a big wing who can play both ends of the floor.
Cleveland Cavaliers Starting Lineup
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Isaac Okoro
SF: Lauri Markkanen
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Kevin Love
Cleveland Cavaliers Analysis
Against the Raptors, the Cavaliers moved Lamar Stevens to the bench and started Markkanen, Mobley, and Love. It’s a jumbo lineup, but they maintain spacing. The defense is worrying though, as Mobley is the only plus defender. Vucevic has been productive against the Cavaliers this season, and that was with Jarrett Allen playing. The Cavaliers should reverse this switch because Stevens is a far better option to guard DeRozan than Markkanen is. Lauri would slide to power forward and guard Javonte Green, while Mobley would take on Vucevic. The Cavaliers bench would also have a great trio of LeVert, Osman, and Love. The offense hasn’t been great, yet the Cavaliers need to focus on defense here. They are in danger of seeing the Bulls big three score 70+ points on them.
Garland will be asked to produce a monster double-double. They need him to score 25+ points and orchestrate the offense. It’s a large task, but the Cavaliers have no choice due to lack of ball handlers. Rubio suffered a season-ending injury (and was subsequently traded), while Rondo has only played in 3 of the past 14 games. I just don’t see how the Cavaliers will keep up with the Bulls scoring.
Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers Daily Fantasy Picks
I like DeRozan, Vucevic, and Garland in this matchup. The Cavaliers don’t have the personnel to guard DeRozan, who has been having an All-NBA type of season. He is dinged up, but he can dominate the Bulls even if he is not 100%. I also like Vucevic because of history and size. He’s imposed his will against the Cavaliers this season, and that was against All-Star Jarrett Allen. Mobley struggles to guard bigger centers, and Vucevic is a former All-Star who can drop 25 points and 12 rebounds. Finally, it is hard to not choose Garland. The Cavaliers revolve around him, and he’s a constant double-double threat. Regardless of matchup, I like Garland in fantasy.
