Pre-Gamin’: Cavaliers at Bulls (7:00 CT) — Lineups, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

The Chicago Bulls host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, looking to snap a season-long four-game losing steak against their Central Division rivals. Cleveland took the first meeting from the two teams this season and presents a matchup issue for the Bulls, who have struggled to win the battles on the glass and in the paint in recent weeks.

Don’t think the Bulls have been affected significantly by injuries and COVID-19? Check out these numbers:

Game Info

Cleveland Cavaliers (27-18) at Chicago Bulls (27-15) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV), and 670 The Score (Radio)

Projected Starters

Chicago Bulls

1. Ayo Dosunmu
2. Coby White
3. DeMar DeRozan
4. Alfonzo McKinnie
5. Nikola Vučević

Injury Report: Patrick Williams OUT (Wrist), Lonzo Ball OUT (knee), Zach LaVine OUT (knee), Derrick Jones Jr. OUT (knee), Javonte Green OUT (groin), Tyler Cook (ankle)

Cleveland Cavaliers

1. Darius Garland
2. Isaac Okoro
3. Lauri Markkanen
4. Evan Mobley
5. Jarrett Allen

Injury Report: Collin Sexton OUT (Knee), Ricky Rubio OUT (Knee), Rajon Rondo OUT (Hamstring), Lamar Stevens QST (Knee)

What to Watch For …

•   Ayo Dosunmu will make his third consecutive start and fourth of the season for the Bulls with Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball still sidelined. Dosunmu made NBA history by becoming the first rookie to record 20-plus points and 10 assists while shooting 90 percent from the field on Saturday against the Celtics. Then, he continued to fill the stat sheet on Monday in Memphis despite the Bulls dropping both contests.

•   The Cavaliers took the first matchup with the Bulls in early December when the Bulls were in the middle of their COVID-19 outbreak that sidelined 11 regulars and left Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball to do the heavy lifting for a short-handed Chicago team. Darius Garland’s 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and six assists paced the Cavs to a 115-92 win and Rookie of the Year candidate (favorite?) Evan Mobley terrorized the Bulls at the rim, blocking a season-high five shots while shooting 8-of-11 and grabbing nine rebounds.

•   Nikola Vučević was downright awful on Monday in Memphis when the team needed their big man to have a big night against the NBA’s best rebounding team and Ja Morant, the NBA’s highest scorer in the paint. Vučević finished with 7 points on 2-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-5 from three-point land while logging just 10 rebounds. Billy Donovan is going to need more out of Vooch with the frontcourt as banged up as it is.

•   Alex Caruso is expected to be back tonight after missing the last month with a left foot injury and COVID-19. The Bulls have desperately missed Caruso’s presence in the second unit and on the defensive end during his absence, so hopefully, he doesn’t have any more issues with his legs this season.

•   More in here…

written by

Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).

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