With the series tied at 2-2 the No. 3 Chicago Bulls (6-4 SU, 7-3 ATS) visit the No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers (6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS) Tuesday in Game Five of their Eastern Conference semifinal. You can watch the game live on TNT.
With a chance to take firm control of the series the Bulls let one get away Sunday, falling 86-84 in Game Four tying the series at 2-2. Wild finishes are becoming the norm in this series with LeBron James hitting the game-winner after Derrick Rose gave the Bulls the series lead with his buzzer-beater in Game Three. The Bulls need a win in Cleveland if they are to take the series and are 3-2 in away games this postseason.
LeBron James came to the rescue and may have saved the Cavaliers season with a long corner jumper that hit the bottom of the net with no time left giving the Cavs a series-tying 86-84 win on Sunday. Cleveland now has the homecourt advantage in what is a best-of-three series. The Cavs have won 23 of their last 25 games at The Q with one of those defeats to Chicago in Game One of this series.
KEY INJURY
Cleveland forward LeBron James rolled his left ankle in the third quarter but fought off the injury to finish with 25 points, including the game-winning shot. He committed eight turnovers and struggled again from the field but came up big when he needed to. Bulls center Pau Gasol didn’t play Sunday with a hamstring injury and his status for Game Five is unknown.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“I wasn’t coming out. I can’t afford to come out, not only because of the position that our team is in but because of who I am as a leader of this team. I was going to fight through it no matter what. That’s why we have a great training staff. They’ll probably be on me around the clock to make sure my wheel is as close to 100 percent as possible by Tuesday.” – Cavs forward LeBron James
BETTING TRENDS
- Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall.
- Cleveland is 6-11 ATS in its last 17 games overall.
- The UNDER is 7-4 in Chicago’s last 11 games overall.
KEY STATS
37.7: Cavaliers forward LeBron James is averaging 26 points a game in the series but has made just 40 of 106 field goals for 37.7 percent and is two of 19 on three-point attempts.
6: Bulls forward Taj Gibson scored six points with eight rebounds in just under 34 minutes Saturday starting in place of the injured Pau Gasol.
31: Derrick Rose scored a playoff-high 31 points Sunday, his second straight game with 30 or more, and is averaging 25 points in the series.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Cavaliers turned to their leader and he delivered Sunday when it counted most. LeBron James played through a third quarter ankle injury to score 25 points with the final three coming on a buzzer-beating jumper from the corner giving Cleveland the win and control of the series. His 10 buckets in 30 attempts, eight turnovers and an offensive foul that allowed the Bulls to tie the game were all forgotten with one uplifting stroke. “He didn’t have his best shooting game, but he was aggressive. He was in attack mode all night. He took responsibility and he led his guys,” coach David Blatt said of his superstar.
It was a great opportunity earned by the Bulls to take complete control of the series. A win would have given them a 3-1 lead but they had to do it without star center Pau Gasol, who didn’t dress due to a hamstring injury. The Bulls have dealt with injuries to key personnel all season but the loss of Gasol is huge and if he’s unable to go Tuesday the Bulls could be in trouble. They missed 13 straight shots and went scoreless for nearly seven minutes in the second quarter, a stretch that doesn’t happen with Gasol in the lineup.
Two buzzer-beaters in consecutive games gives us an idea of just how even the series is and injuries will play a big role in determining who advances to the next round. The Bulls played without Pau Gasol Sunday and his status is unknown. LeBron James, who rolled his ankle on Sunday and finished the game with a noticeable limp, joins Kyrie Irving on the injury list but both continue to play because it’s the playoffs. The Cavs seized momentum in the series but the Bulls have a deeper bench, which will definitely be a factor in what is now a best-of-three.
Chicago 96, Cleveland 92
The NBA odds for this game will first open at BookMaker sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next half. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers will start at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at Quicken Loans Arena. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
