Can Cavaliers Hold East’s Second Spot Pre-All-Star Weekend?
Trust Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland With These Bulls vs Cavaliers Betting Lines
Bulls vs Cavaliers Betting Lines Pre-All-Star Weekend
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to close out the first half strong with a game against the Chicago Bulls in Wednesday’s early ESPN slot.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their winning streak with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, 123-121. However, Cleveland is still 35-17 on the season and in prime position for a high playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are just 26-28 but have won three of their last five games. One of the two losses was an overtime defeat on the road to the Magic. Overall, Chicago is playing better basketball than earlier this year. But the loss of Zach LaVine for the season isn’t helping the situation.
Therefore, the Cavaliers are sitting at -8.5 (-110), with the total currently at 220.5.
Let’s dig deeper into the Bulls vs Cavaliers betting lines for this Eastern Conference showdown.
Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers 
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Bulls vs Cavaliers Betting Lines & Trends
The Chicago Bulls might be below .500 straight up. However, they’re 28-25-1 against the spread this NBA season. The Bulls have been almost as profitable as the Cavaliers have been against the spread this year.
Still, the Bulls have only gone 11-16 on the road but have hit the Over in 29 games this season.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are 28-24 against the spread and have hit the Under in 28 of 54 games this year. At home, the Cavaliers are also 18-9.
Cleveland has defeated the Bulls in six consecutive games. This NBA matchup will be the third meeting this season against the Bulls. The Cavaliers covered both matchups and won each game by double-digits.
During the six-game winning streak, Cleveland has gone 5-0-1 against the Bulls against the spread.
Will The Bulls Play Jevon Carter More?
The Bulls were without Alex Caruso in their game against the Hawks on Monday. Caruso was dealing with a sore foot. However, the Bulls still scored an impressive 136-126 win over the Hawks in that game.
One of the main contributors to the win was Javon Carter. Carter played 25 minutes off the bench and added 11 points, two assists, and two rebounds on 4-for-8 from the field.
Those 25 minutes were the most Carter has played as a Bulls player. He had been out of the rotation for most of the first half. But after the game was over, Billy Donovan acknowledged that he was relentless as a defender and stayed ready when his opportunity came.
Look at their other recent NBA scores, the Bulls added 108 points in an overtime game on the road against Orlando.
Should Donovan Mitchell Be In The MVP Conversation?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 35-17 and second in the Eastern Conference. Not only are the Cavaliers 18-9 at home, but they’re also 17-8 on the road. That road record is the best in the NBA at this time.
The credit goes to Donovan Mitchell, who has added 28.3 points per game on 47.5% from the floor. But Mitchell does more than score the basketball.
He’s also added 6.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. So he’s really filling up the box score.
While other players are more deserving, Mitchell is at least in the top ten for MVP right now. He’s on the cusp of being Top 5.
The favorite is Nikola Jokic. Then it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. But after that, it’s anyone’s guess. You can view Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, or Kawhi Leonard as the fifth-best player in the NBA right now.
So, while Mitchell won’t come close to winning the award, we agree that he’s in the conversation.
Cleveland’s Defense Will Set The Tone
The Cleveland Cavaliers have played tremendous defense this year. The Cavaliers have held teams to 111 points per 100 possessions and have allowed only a 52.7% effective field goal percentage this season.
Furthermore, the Cavaliers have added 14.4% of turnovers and are in the top 15 in limiting offensive rebounds and defensive foul rate.
Chicago has only scored 114.8 points per 100 possessions and has shot a 53.6% effective field goal percentage. The Bulls have also added an 18.7 free throw rate, which is only good for 20th in the NBA. While the Bulls are good at limiting turnovers, the Cavaliers typically do a good job of forcing some.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers don’t always play consistently on offense. The difference in this game for the Cavaliers will be on the offensive glass. Cleveland has grabbed 28% of offensive rebounds, while the Bulls have allowed 27.5% of offensive rebounds.
Not only does Cleveland shoot a higher effective field goal percentage, but the Cavaliers also earn more second chances on the glass and score more points per 100 possessions because of it.
The Cavaliers won’t get to the foul line at a high rate. They might even lose the turnover battle. But when each team shoots, the Cavaliers will see the ball go through the hoop more. It’s still likely that Cleveland will take more shots, too, with its offensive rebounding ability.
The Cavaliers are currently second-place in the Eastern Conference NBA standings. While the Bulls just added 136 points, that’s not usually like them.
The Cavaliers are just as good of a defense as the Magic. Therefore, after reviewing the Bulls vs Cavaliers betting lines, our NBA predictions have the Cavaliers. Take the Cavaliers at -8.5 (-110) as we approach the All-Star break.
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