Cavs at Bulls preview, start time, TV, line and injury report

The Cavs, who are 11-0 after a comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets, will travel to Chicago to face the struggling Bulls, who will look to continue their blistering start to the season.

WHO: Cleveland Cavaliers (11-0) vs. Chicago Bulls (4-6)

Where: United Center, Chicago, IL

When: 8:00 p.m., Monday, November 11th

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio (formerly Bally Sports), NBA League Pass

line: Cavs -8

Predicted starting lineup for the Cavs: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report from yesterday: Max Strus – OUT (ankle), Emoni Bates – OUT (knee), Luke Travers – OUT (two-way), JT Thor – OUT (two-way)

Projected starting lineup for the Bulls: Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic

Bulls injury report from yesterday: Lonzo Ball – OUT (wrist), EJ Liddell – OUT (two-way), Zach LaVine – PROBABLE (right adductor strain), Adama Sanogo – OUT (two-way), DJ Steward – OUT (two-way)

Fear the sword will host a live stream watch party for select games this year reproduction. Connect Jackson Flickinger and Corey Walsh react to all the action.

What you should pay attention to

Problems in the second half?

Yes, the Cavs remain undefeated to start the season. But the last few games showed a few cracks in the armor.

Namely a really bad third quarter.

Two games ago, the Cavs nearly brought the Golden State Warriors within shouting distance after allowing 41 points in the third quarter. The riot was put down, but Kenny Atkinson reportedly had to be stopped from ambushing his team after the poor second half against Golden State. The Cavs looked sloppy, especially on defense, undoing much of their good work in the first half as they built a 40-point lead against the Warriors.

Then, in their last game against the Nets, the Cavs had a similarly bad third quarter that looked like it would spell the end of their winning streak. The Cavs were outscored 27-14 in the third frame, their lowest quarter-point output of the season. Things continued to look bleak in the fourth quarter until the Cavs finally took the lead with ten points in a row (including eight from Darius Garland). The Cavs may have taken their foot off the pedal a little out of choice or fatigue, but they looked more vulnerable lately in the second half.

Board fight

As good as the Cavs have been this season, one area where they have struggled is rebounding in basketball. The Cavs are 25th in the league in rebounds per game (41.4), while the Bulls are 5th in the league (46.8). Nikola Vucevic leads the team with 10.3 rebounds per game, while Allen averages 11.3 rebounds per game. Allen had a tough game against the Nets, only grabbing three rebounds against Nic Claxton.

Take advantage of the color

The Bulls rank 18th as a team in defense, but are particularly poor at defending the rim. According to Cleaning the Glass, Chicago allows the fourth-most shots at the rim and the third-highest field goal percentage at the rim. That bodes well for a Cavs team that, aided by excellent bigs, attempts the eighth-most shots at the rim. Caris LeVert and Ty Jerome also provide plenty of rim pressure when they are on the floor. Both are in the 81st percentile or better. The Cavs generally have one of the best offenses in the league, but their perimeter pressure might be more important against a leaky Bulls interior defense.