The Chicago Bulls will play their first NBA Cup game of the 2024-25 season with a road matchup against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. Earlier this week, Cleveland won the first matchup of four matchups against Chicago, 119-113. Chicago will look for their first-ever NBA Cup win; last season went 0-4. At the same time, Cleveland had a 3-1 record but couldn’t advance in the NBA Cup because of tie-breakers. Chicago has won in Cleveland twice since the 2019-20 season and has lost four straight games in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Matchup of the night
Donovan Mitchell vs Zach Lavine
You can make the case that whoever scores more points in this Mitchell-Lavine matchup, their team will win. Earlier this week, during the first matchup between Cleveland and Chicago, Donovan Mitchell caught fire, resulting in 36 points, helping the Cavs stay undefeated. But Mitchell playing well against Chicago is no longer a surprise. In eight games as a Cavalier, Donovan Mitchell has averaged 33.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists against Chicago. That includes his 71-point performance against Chicago a few seasons ago.
As for Zach Lavine, Lavine scored 26 points in the first matchup. Lavine has played well in 15 games against Cleveland as a Bull, averaging 24.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. So far this season, Lavine has shown more leadership with this new-look Bulls squad, which has no Alex Caruso or DeMar DeRozan. Lavine will likely be the #1 option in Chicago for the next few seasons. The key for Zach will be to get hot early and get into a rhythm during the first half.
3 Keys for Bulls to win:
Stay committed to your strengths
It was obvious that Chicago wanted to make changes with DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso getting traded during the offseason. But the Bulls became faster, their pace being the fastest in the NBA. However, Chicago has shot the three more often, resulting in 41.1 threes per game (5th), 15.3 threes made (7th), and shooting 37.1% from deep (9th). Chicago must take good/open three-point attempts, especially on the road against Cleveland. But if you open, take the shot.
Contain Garland
Besides Donovan Mitchell, guard Darius Garland has been playing out of his mind, helping Cleveland have the perfect 13-0 record. Lucky for Chicago, during the first matchup, Garland struggled, going 7-17 and 1-5 from three, resulting in 17 points. But Garland, so far this season, has been averaging career highs in field percentage (53.4%) and three-point percentage (44.9%). Slowing down Garland will give the Bulls their best chance of winning Friday night in Cleveland.
Late game situations
In Chicago’s last four games, they have held leads during the second half and allowed their opponents to make huge runs to get back in all four games, including last Monday against Cleveland. Chicago held a 9-point lead during the third quarter, but the Cavaliers bench/Donovan Mitchell made their run to take demand of the game. Once Cleveland got the lead, Chicago couldn’t recover and get a lead during the fourth quarter.
But when Chicago plays too fast with a lead, they have shown to become sloppy with the ball. On Monday, every starter had at least one turnover during the second half, but especially the ball handlers of Josh Giddey and Coby White combined for seven of the ten-second turnovers. When the game slows down, Chicago must control the game and understand the game situation.
Stat to Remember:
Chicago is 0-4 when committing at least 18 turnovers
In the first matchup between these teams earlier this week, Chicago had 20 turnovers, resulting in 35 points for Cleveland.
Injury Report
Chicago Bulls
| Player | Injury | Status |
| Lonzo Ball | Wrist | Out |
| Adama Sanogo | Knee | Probable |
Cleveland Cavaliers
| Player | Injury | Status |
| Sam Merrill | Ankle | Out |
| Jarrett Allen | Leg | Probable |
| Evan Mobley | Illness | Probable |
| Max Strus | Hip | Out |
| Emoni Bates | Knee | Out |
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