On Friday night, there are five NBA games across the schedule with quality matchups wherever you look. At 7:30 p.m. EST, the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers meet for the second time in three days after Josh Giddey powered his team to a 127-111 win with a triple-double on Wednesday evening. Now, Donovan Mitchell seeks revenge, but will an undermanned Cavs squad get it?
Here’s a Bulls vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday night’s matchup.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers prediction, preview
These squads have met twice this season with a 128-122 victory for Cleveland in the first back in November before the aforementioned win for Chicago on Wednesday night. With the Cavs now far from full strength on the injury report and Donovan Mitchell questionable himself due to an illness, the third edition of this series could get out of hand quite quickly.
The Bulls started the season in strong fashion but have largely cratered since that exciting start, now sitting 11-15 on the campaign overall. They play at the NBA’s third-fastest pace, so expect plenty of shots in this one as Chicago gets out in transition and pushes the tempo. The team averages 117.6 PPG (15th) while allowing 121.9 (25th), so this unit clearly leans on the offense to win games rather than the other way around. The overall results aren’t great though. with the Bulls ranking 23rd in NETRTG at -4.2.
While his season has been short thus far with just 10 appearances, Coby White paces the roster with 22.0 PPG along with 4.8 assists, though his shooting numbers don’t look the best at 44.5% from the field and 29.2% from three. He’s tailed closely in scoring by Josh Giddey, who averages 20.3 PPG with team-highs in rebounds (9.4) and assists (8.9) as a threat to record a triple-double on any given night. Veteran big man Nikola Vucevic also pitches in 15.8 PPG and 9.1 rebounds, while four other players average double-digit points. Of those, Ayo Dosunmu has blossomed as a 3&D guard with 15.8 PPG and a blazing 47.5% mark from three-point range, and Matas Buzelis shows flashes for the long term with 13.4 PPG at the forward spot.
For the Cavaliers, the 15-13 record doesn’t come close to the dominance this group showed last season. It’s been a disappointing year thus far as reports allege a swarm of teams expressing interest in Cleveland’s trade assets, but as of now, there’s little incentive for the front office to make any drastic moves. Injuries have been an issue for sure, but the Cavs still average 118.4 PPG (12th) and allow 116.3 on the other end (16th) while sitting 12th in NETRTG at +2.1.
Of course, Donovan Mitchell leads the way with an MVP-level campaign of 30.7 PPG and 5.5 assists while shooting 49.3% from the field and 38.3% from three. He’s in the midst of his best season yet at age 29 with no signs of slowing down, though missing tonight with his illness would possibly doom his team’s chances of winning. With Evan Mobley (calf) still sidelined, that fills the frontcourt with Jaylon Tyson, De’Andre Hunter and Jarrett Allen. Each averages between 15.3 and 14.0 PPG while crashing the glass hard, and Tyson has served as one of this season’s nicest surprises in a larger role while shooting a team-high 46.6% from downtown. The the other guard spot, Darius Garland takes the floor with 15.3 PPG and 6.4 assists, though his efficiency is down this season while he’s dealt with a handful of lingering injuries himself.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cavaliers as -6.5 favorites tonight with -265 odds on the Moneyline. The Bulls are +215 ML underdogs with the total set at 240.5. The betting splits show 74% of straight wagers on Cleveland with 54% of bets on the total favoring the over.
Mitchell’s status is by far the most important to monitor in the injury report here. He posted 32 points in Wednesday’s loss and 29 points in the Cavs’ win back in November, so Chicago doesn’t seem to have much of an answer for the star scorer defensively. If he plays, the Cavaliers have a chance… if he doesn’t, this may be a tough one. The remainder of the injury report appears fairly clean with Craig Porter Jr. (illness) the only other questionable rotation player for Cleveland, though Sam Merrill (hand) and Larry Nance Jr. (calf) are both out. For the Bulls, Dosunmu (thumb), Tre Jones (hamstring) and Zach Collins (knee) are all probable.
As long as Mitchell suits up, this should be a competitive contest on the Cavaliers’ side of things. If he doesn’t play though, we’re looking at a struggling Garland and a collection of role players looking to generate enough offense to hang in there against a Chicago squad that pushes the pace and has three very solid sources of offense in Giddey, White and Vucevic. Sure, those role guys like Hunter, Tyson and Allen are all talented, but even if Mitchell does wind up on the floor, Cleveland is just 7-18 ATS as a favorite this season and 4-11 ATS when a favorite at home. The Cavaliers just don’t bury their opponents and aren’t likely to do it tonight given that the first meeting was a mere six-point win and they lost the second meeting against the Bulls outright.
Regardless of Mitchell’s status, I’m on the Bulls to cover +6.5. The outlook for that greatly improves if the superstar doesn’t play, so I’d rather snag the line early as well in this instance.
Top pick: CHI Bulls +6.5 (-108)
