The Bulls are hosting the Cavaliers on Thursday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Cleveland is favored by 11.5 points and this game carries a total of 238.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers Preview
After beating the Grizzlies on Monday, the Bulls hit a wall last night vs. the Raptors, losing 139-109. Chicago is now 4-10 since the All-Star break and for the season, the club is the No.12 seed in the Eastern Conference at 28-41 and ranks 23rd in net rating. The Bulls are six games back of the Hornets for the No.10 seed, which is the final spot for the Play-Tournament, so Chicago looks lottery bound with only 13 games left in the regular season.
Josh Giddey had been on a roll with five triple-doubles in six games, but the guard came back down to earth vs. Toronto last night, finishing with only nine points and three assists. Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 19 points, but they weren’t moving the ball well and their defense was a disaster, allowing the Raptors to shoot 57% from the field and score 139 points.
Chicago ranks 23rd in defensive rating this season and it’s difficult to imagine the team’s defense improving this evening playing its second game in two nights. The Bulls are just 3-8 on the second night of back-to-back sets this season. Chicago is 2-1 vs. the Cavaliers this season, so the Bulls do have this to hang their hat on, but this should be taken lightly, as Evan Mobley was inactive for both of those victories for Chicago and Donovan Mitchell was also out for one.
Cleveland is 42-27 and ranks sixth in net rating this season. The Cavaliers are still alive for the No.3 seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting only 2.5 games back of the Knicks for that spot. Cleveland looked like world beaters when they first acquired James Harden last month, but the team has been hit or miss lately, losing every other game in its last six.
Another issue is that Mitchell was downgraded to questionable this afternoon with an eye injury that he suffered this week. Being downgraded this close to game time is never an encouraging sign. While Mitchell was able to play Tuesday vs. the Bucks, he only scored 19 points while shooting 4-of-14 from the field and he said he “can’t really see out my left eye” following the contest.
Mitchell is likely to sit tonight, which obviously would be a big loss for the Cavaliers. The guard leads the team with 28 PPG and in plus/minus this season. With Mitchell inactive, Cleveland is just 4-4.
The Cavaliers’ offense suffers greatly without the guard, but even with Mitchell absent, Cleveland is still in a better position to win this game than the struggling Bulls who just played last night. James Harden and Evan Mobley will both take on larger roles and should thrive in this strong matchup.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers Pick, Best Bet
With or without Mitchell, the Cavaliers should win this game, but covering this 11.5-point spread could get tricky, as Cleveland is a league-worst 28-41 ATS this season.
Backing either team to cover is tough in this matchup and I prefer to back this game to go under its 238.5-point total with Mitchell trending towards sitting. Cleveland’s offense will be much weaker if he is out and with Mitchell inactive this season, the Cavaliers are 5-3 for the under.
