Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls
October 5, 2021 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Chicago Bulls / Cleveland Cavaliers
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls meet Tuesday in NBA preseason action at the United Center. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 22 games last year and are still looking for their first playoff trip since LeBron left. The Chicago Bulls are coming off a 31-win season and hope to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.
The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to try to find talent to build around and the additions of Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen should help. A backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton is one of the more talented, young backcourts in the league and could surprise some folks this season. Jarrett Allen probably isn’t worth the contract he got this season, but he’s a solid big who does make the Cavs better. Ricky Rubio adds veteran experience and playmaking off the bench and Kevin Love probably has something left in the tank if he can stay healthy. The Cavaliers are a better team than they were last year, but they’re still a piece or two away before you can make a case for a playoff berth.
The Chicago Bulls were arguably the busiest team this offseason with the additions of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Derrick Jones Jr. Alex Caruso and the drafting of Ayo Dosunmu. When you throw in Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic into that mix, there’s no reason why the Bulls shouldn’t be in the thick of the playoff race in the East. The Bulls have a lot more playmaking ability, scoring and the defense should improve at the guard spots as well. The Bulls also hope to get back Coby White sometime in November as he’s battling a shoulder injury. Overall, the Bulls have the ability to be the most improved team in the league this season and have probably their best roster since winning 50 games in the 2014-15 season behind Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose. Bulls fans should be excited.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a young team that should perform well in the preseason due to so much competition and playing time available. However, the Bulls have so many new faces, increased expectations and a shot in the arm talent wise, you know they’re just itching to make a statement. You’re never quite sure how much guys will play in the preseason, but the Bulls should be excited to take the court.
I like the Bulls in this preseason opener.
