NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference - Semifinals
Tip-off: Thursday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Chicago -2.0, Total: 192.0

The Bulls look to even up the series when they host the Cavaliers in Game 6 Thursday.

Game 5 was another close one between these teams and the Cavaliers ended up winning 106-101 as 5.5-point home favorites. Cleveland shot 50.6% from the field compared to a miserable 39.5% for Chicago, but the Bulls did go an incredible 26-of-28 from the free-throw line. Chicago also committed just eight turnovers in the game, but they ultimately did not shoot well enough from the floor to earn what would have been a big road victory. The Bulls must now win in Chicago, where they are 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in their past six games against the Cavaliers. One thing favoring the Cavs in this game is that they’ll be up against a Bulls team that is 16-30 ATS after playing a road game this season. Cleveland, however, is 3-13 ATS as an underdog on the year and will be facing a Bulls team that also happens to be an impressive 25-14 ATS when revenging a loss this season. The Cavs will continue to be without PF Kevin Love (Shoulder) and C Anderson Varejao (Achilles) for the remainder of the year and PF Pau Gasol (Hamstring) is probable for the Bulls.

The Cavaliers took a 3-2 lead with their win in Game 5 and SF LeBron James (27.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 7.6 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.6 BPG in playoffs) had one of his best playoff games ever, finishing with 38 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals on an efficient 14-for-24 shooting from the field. James was unstoppable going to the basket and was hitting his midrange jumpers as well. He’ll need to play well on Thursday in order to end this series. PG Kyrie Irving (21.3 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) broke out of his shooting slump in Game 5, pouring in 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from three. He also dished out five assists and will need to be effective moving forward if the Cavs are going to keep winning. When he is playing well, there is less pressure on LeBron James to do everything for this team. SG Iman Shumpert (10.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG in playoffs) and PF Tristan Thompson (8.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs) were both big contributors in the Game 5 victory. Shumpert had 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the game and Tristan Thompson added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Both of them will need to be perform at a high level on Thursday.

The Bulls are facing elimination and will need a huge game from PG Derrick Rose (20.9 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) in order to force a Game 7 in Cleveland. Rose was lousy on Tuesday, going just 7-for-24 from the field on his way to finishing with 16 points, nine boards, seven assists and three steals. He’ll need to take better shots on Thursday, as he can’t afford to shoot his team out of the game. PF Pau Gasol (15.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.3 BPG in playoffs) has missed the past two games for the Bulls, but he is expected to return on Thursday. Gasol’s offensive talent has been severely missed by Chicago and he’ll need to make an immediate impact. His size should give Tristan Thompson some trouble. SG Jimmy Butler (23.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.5 SPG in playoffs) continues to play very well for the Bulls. He had 29 points and nine rebounds in Game 5 and must play well on both ends of the floor on Thursday. He did not play too well defensively on LeBron James on Tuesday and that’s where he’ll need to focus his energy. C Joakim Noah (5.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.2 BPG in playoffs) had his most efficient shooting game in the series on Tuesday, finishing 4-for-6 from the field with 10 points, nine rebounds, a block and a steal in 41 minutes of action. He’ll need to finish when he gets around the basket and also protect the rim more effectively than he did in Game 5.