Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas - Super Bowl

This Saturday, the (26-29) Chicago Bulls will travel to Cleveland, OH to take on the (35-22) Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff will be at 8:00 PM EST inside the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. This will be the fourth and final meeting between these two teams this regular season, as the Cavs won the last matchup, 145-134.

The Bulls are entering this game after falling to the Brooklyn Nets, 116-105. They struggled on the offensive end of the court, as they will have to be more efficient in this one if they want to take down the Cavs on the road.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming into this one after defeating the Detroit Pistons, 113-85. They looked incredible on the defensive end of the court, as they will have to stay aggressive in this one if they want to take down the Bulls at home.

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This game was written/published before last night's results.

Will the Bulls Show Up on the Road?

The Chicago Bulls are currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are 13 games back from the Boston Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 114.2 points per game and they have shot 49% from the floor. This is the 18th most points scored per contest and the fifth-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bulls have the 22nd-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 25.7 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the floor. Chicago has also shown that they have the ability to knock down shots from behind the arc. They are shooting 36.2% from deep, which is the 15th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. They have also shot 81.1% from the charity stripe, which is the fifth-highest free-throw shooting percentage.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bulls are surrendering 113.9 points per contest and their opponents have shot 47.1% from the floor. This is the 16th least amount of points given up per game and the 12th lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Bulls have the sixth-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. Chicago has also shown that they will defend shots near the rim and on the outside. Their opponents have only shot 35.4% from deep, which is the 10th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed. The Chicago Bulls have also grabbed 42.8 rebounds per game, which is the 18th most in the NBA.

Injury Report: Javonte Green SG (Knee) and Lonzo Ball PG (Knee) are out.

Can the Cavs Defense Stay Strong?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are five games back from the Boston Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 111.8 points per game and they have shot 48.7% from the floor. This is the 25th most points scored per contest and the sixth-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Cavaliers have the 10th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Donovan Mitchell continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 26.8 points per game on 47.3% shooting from the floor. Cleveland has also shown that they can consistently knock down shots from behind the arc, as they are shooting 36.7% from deep. This is the 10th-highest three-point shooting percentage, as they can score in the paint or on the outside. Cleveland has also shot 77.6% from the charity stripe, which is the 19th-highest free-throw shooting percentage in the league.

On the defensive end of the court, the Cavs are allowing 106.2 points per game, and their opponents have only shot 46.4% from the floor. This is the least amount of points surrendered per game and the fifth-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunsandthrees.com, they have the lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. Unfortunately, they do have a weakness, though. Their perimeter defense has lacked, as they are allowing their opponents to shoot 36.5% from deep. This is the 20th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed, as they will have to close out on open shooters if they want to stay competitive in these games. Cleveland has also grabbed 42.2 rebounds per game, which is the 21st most.

Injury Report: Darius Garland PG (Thumb) and Donovan Mitchell SG (Groin) are probable. Ricky Rubio PG (Rest) is out.

Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

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I am going to take the Cleveland Cavaliers and I am going to lay the points (-3). They are the better defensive team, as they aren't going to allow the Bulls to score enough points to cover this spread. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Cavaliers have the lowest adjusted defensive rating and they are holding their opponents to the least amount of points per game. They won't allow the Bulls to get hot, which will allow them to pull away. Chicago isn't anything special on the offensive end of the court either. They only have the 22nd-highest adjusted offensive rating and they are scoring the 18th most points per game. Cleveland will also be able to efficiently score throughout this one, as they have the 10th-highest adjusted offensive rating and the sixth-highest team shooting percentage. The Bulls won't be able to slow them down and the Cavs will stay hot at home. Cleveland is (23-6) at home and they've been on a heater over the last week.

Pick the Cleveland Cavaliers and lay the points (-3).

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers -3

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Full-Game Total Pick

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I will be HAMMERING the under in this matchup, as I don't see either team scoring enough points to push this total over the number. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Cavaliers have the lowest adjusted tempo rating and they are holding their opponents to the least amount of points per game. They will smother the Bulls and keep them from scoring enough points to push this total over the number. Chicago only has the 22nd-highest adjusted offensive rating and they are scoring the 18th most points per game. They will struggle on the road and do their part in keeping this total under the number. I don't expect the Cavaliers to go crazy on the scoreboard either. They have only scored the 25th most points per game, as their pace of play limits how many shot attempts each team takes from the floor.

Pick the under and expect a defensive battle in this one.

Prediction: Under

Mason graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and he has been watching SportsCenter since before he could walk. He has been crunching numbers since he could learn to count and nothing makes Mason happier in this world than talking sports, unless he is on the golf course! We are very happy to have added Mason to our team at StatSalt and you will be glad as well. Let's win some money!