Chicago Bulls (16-20) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-14)
January 2, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Cleveland Cavaliers -3.5; Over/Under: +221.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers meet Monday in NBA action at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Chicago Bulls have won 5 of their last 7 games. The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 6 of their last 9 games.
The Chicago Bulls are averaging 113.6 points on 48.3 percent shooting and allowing 115 points on 47.7 percent shooting. DeMar DeRozan is averaging 26.5 points and 5 assists, while Zach LaVine is averaging 22.2 points and 4.3 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic is the third double-digit scorer and Ayo Dosunmu is grabbing 3.2 rebounds. The Chicago Bulls are shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc and 81.8 percent from the free throw line. The Chicago Bulls are allowing 37.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 42.3 rebounds per game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are averaging 110.9 points on 48 percent shooting and allowing 104.9 points on 45.5 percent shooting. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 28.9 points and 4.5 assists, while Darius Garland is averaging 20.6 points and 2.7 rebounds. Evan Mobley is the third double-digit scorer and Jarrett Allen is grabbing 10.1 rebounds. The Cleveland Cavaliers are shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc and 79.2 percent from the free throw line. The Cleveland Cavaliers are allowing 35.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 42.7 rebounds per game.
The Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Cavaliers are 15-6-1 ATS in their last 22 home games and 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Bulls last 5 overall. The over is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 overall. The Bulls are 21-7 ATS in the last 28 meetings in Cleveland and 34-16-1 ATS in the last 51 meetings.
The Chicago Bulls are coming off a strong week, but their defense is still an issue, and they still have to prove themselves on the road. The Cleveland Cavaliers are at their best at home, where they win by an average of 8.3 points, and they also win in the favorite role by an average of 7.3 points. I’d need an extra bucket or two to consider the Bulls. Give me the Cavs and the small chalk.
