The Bulls are hosting the Cavaliers on Wednesday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Cleveland is favored by 5.5 points and this game carries a total of 242.5 points.
Below, I break down the matchup and provide a pick for the game.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers preview, prediction
The Cavaliers and Bulls have gone head-to-head once this season and Cleveland won that matchup 128-122 in early November. After finishing atop the Eastern Conference with a dominant 64-18 record last season, the Cavaliers have been somewhat disappointing this season with a 15-12 record. The team ranks 10th in net rating, 10th in offensive rating and ninth in defensive rating.
Cleveland took care of business when they faced the Bulls earlier this season, but the Cavaliers had Evan Mobley available for that game and he scored 24 points in the victory. This time around, Mobley will be out with a calf injury, as calf injuries are plaguing the NBA right now. The forward is averaging a career-high 19.1 PPG this season and he ranks fourth for Cleveland in plus/minus. Mobley is the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but the Cavaliers’ defensive rating has been nearly identical without him this season, as his impact has instead been on the offensive end. With Mobley off the floor this season, Cleveland’s offensive rating drops 6.8 points per 100 possessions.
Wednesday will be Mobley’s second missed game in a row, and with him inactive this past Sunday vs. the Hornets, the Cavaliers fell to an 8-18 Charlotte squad 119-111 in overtime for one of their worst losses of the season. While not having Mobley is a concern, Cleveland still has Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen all healthy right now, and this is a very friendly matchup for the Cavaliers vs. the Bulls.
After a strong start to the season, Chicago has plummeted down the standings. The Bulls have lost eight of their last 10, bringing the team down to 10-15 and 24th in net rating. Chicago ranks bottom-seven in both offensive and defensive rating, and the club is coming off a 10-point home loss to the 5-22 Pelicans.
The Bulls have some talented players in Josh Giddey, Coby White and Nikola Vucevic, but this team lacks chemistry and White and Vucevic have been major liabilities on the defensive end. Unless the team turns it around fast, Chicago looks like a team that could be blown up at the trade deadline.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers pick, best bet
The Cavaliers’ offense is going to be less potent than usual with Mobley missing, but Mitchell and Garland should both thrive in this matchup, and Cleveland should get a bounce back win here after the overtime loss to the Hornets on Sunday.
After a loss this season, the Cavaliers are 8-3. However, Cleveland is no lock to cover this 5.5-point spread, as it is a league-worst 8-19-0 ATS. Instead of focusing on the spread, backing this game to go under it’s huge 242.5-point total makes a ton of sense. As mentioned above, the Cavaliers are going to be weaker on offense without Mobley, and both Cleveland and Chicago have hit the under more often than not in 2025-26.
