Must-win showdown awaits Cavaliers in their first 2024-25 NBA Cup matchup

Cleveland will play in a must-win matchup when they face the Chicago Bulls on Friday. The Cavs can set the tone in the first of their four Eastern Conference Group C NBA Cup games, which will see them face the Bulls, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards. The Hawks hold the top spot in the group after narrowly defeating Boston on Tuesday behind 28 points and six steals from guard Dyson Daniels.

Even if Boston defeats Cleveland next week, the Cup's point-differential tiebreaker could mean three convincing wins are all the Cavs need to win the group or compete as a Wild Card selection. Cleveland took second place in the East Group A standings with a record of 3-1 last season, but placed 13 points behind the 3-1 New York Knicks for a spot in the knockout stage.

The Cavaliers take on the Bulls

Chicago went 0-4 and fell to last place in the East Group C Standings in last year's NBA Cup. The Cavs went 3-1 against the Bulls during last year's regular season, taking a convincing win at the United Center before claiming two victories at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Chicago narrowly avoided a regular season sweep with a 9-point home victory in double overtime. Led by 26 rebounds from now-Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond, the Bulls brought down 74 boards, including 25 on offense, compared to Cleveland's 39.

The Bulls have since drafted forward Matas Buzelis, a Chicago-born forward and a product of G League Ignite, and re-signed forward Patrick Williams to a five-year contract. They brought in Wes Unseld Jr. and Dan Craig to take spots on the front of the bench alongside head coach Billy Donovan. Chicago currently sits at sixth place in the East with a record of 5-7 and a 4-2 record against conference opponents. Even in the absence of one of their top scorer from the season prior, Chicago still sports an offense that averages 115.4 points per game, good enough for 10th in the NBA.

The Cavs will have to tighten their perimeter defense and counter Chicago's long-range attack to claim victory on Friday. The Bulls attempt the fifth-most 3-pointers in the league with an average of 41.1 per game while hitting a comfortable 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. Cleveland's opponents have made just under 37 percent of their 3-pointers in their 13 games played, putting them just behind the Orlando Magic at 22nd in the NBA.

The Cavs have undergone a revolution on offense even without making significant changes to their roster. Cleveland leads the league with an average of 121.8 points per game, a full 9.2 points ahead of their average from just one season before. Their defense has kept pace with their high standards from seasons past. Cleveland possesses the sixth-highest defensive rating in the league, taking spots ahead of the Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Cavs took the Bulls down in a close 6-point road victory on Monday. Guard Donovan Mitchell put on a scoring clinic as he poured on 36 points on 26 shots from the floor. He made seven of his 16 3-point shots. The former Louisville guard and five-time All-Star averaged 27.7 points per game during his three matchups against Chicago last season, showcasing his scoring prowess with two games of 30 points or more on Cleveland's home court.

Even with a franchise-best 13-0 start to their season, the Cavs will have plenty to prove heading into the second season of the NBA Cup. Mitchell and guard Darius Garland must continue to be key scoring guards against the Cavs' midwestern rival as they face two solid scoring counterparts in guards Zach LaVine and Coby White. Cleveland's bench, just as they had on Monday, must again play key scoring roles when they take to Cleveland on Friday.

Still, after Monday's win, a fun and revitalized Cavs squad seems more than ready for anything.

"I think this group is locked in. There's questions about this group, whether they can get to the next level. Can they make the next step? When you have that chip, you focus even more. From when we started an open gym, they were focused, locked in. They're hungry."

- Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson

The Cavs will take on the Bulls on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio.