The Cleveland Cavaliers are 23-2 SU and 16-9 ATS in their last 25 games at home. With their series against the Chicago Bulls knotted up at two games apiece, the Cavaliers return home this Tuesday to host the Bulls in Game 5.
Cleveland is a 5.5-point favorite for Game 5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Cavaliers were favored by 5.5 points in Game 2 at home and 4.5 points in Game 1.
In Game 3, the Cavaliers found themselves the victims of a last-second buzzer beater as Derrick Rose drilled a three-pointer to give Chicago a 99-96 win. Cleveland returned the favor in Game 4 as LeBron James hit a game-ending jumper to give Cleveland an 86-84 win in the contest’s closing moments.
Considering how poorly the team’s two stars were shooting, the Cavaliers were lucky to get out of Chicago with a split. LeBron shot 18-for-55 from the field (32.7%) and Kyrie Irving was a woeful 5-for-23 (21.7%) in Cleveland’s two games in Chicago.
Rose has been nothing short of sensational throughout this series against Cleveland. Rose capped off a 30-point night with his game-winning three-pointer in Game 3, and had 31 of his team’s 84 points in Game 4 with Pau Gasol sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Gasol’s status for the remainder of the series is in question, but early reports indicate that he will miss Game 5 with the injury as well. Chicago is 6-5 SU and ATS over its last 11 playoff road games, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Tuesday night’s total is set at 191 points for the Bulls vs. Cavaliers betting matchup at the sportsbooks. Both teams have gone 5-2 on the UNDER over their last seven games.
With two straight games ending in buzzer beaters by each team’s biggest star, this series has suddenly elevated to must-watch status. Derrick Rose has been the most consistent player for either team in the series so far, but he will likely need some help from his supporting cast if the Bulls are going to pull off another road upset in Game 5.