As the Chicago Bulls look to extend their winning streak to five games as head coach Billy Donovan and his squad take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Dec. 8, there are some hurdles facing this team. It looks like the Bulls got a bad outbreak of COVID-19, or some type of illness, given the mounting number of players on this team in the league’s health and safety protocol.
The Bulls were already missing the likes of star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan, third-year point guard Coby White, shooting guard/forward Javonte Green, and point guard Alex Caruso. Granted, Caruso’s absence wasn’t due to any illness. He’s doubtful again for the Bulls’ matchup against the Cavaliers on Dec. 8 with a lingering hamstring injury.
But the Bulls can also add sharpshooting guard/wing, Matt Thomas, to the ever-growing list of players out for this team due to the league’s health and safety protocol.
Despite all of these players missing for the Bulls at this point of the regular season, the team is still currently sitting on a four-game winning streak. Coming off a nice 12-point home win at the United Center over the Denver Nuggets on the night of Dec. 6, the Bulls are sporting a record of 17-8.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers come into this game with a record of 13-12 following a 112-104 loss on the road to the red hot Milwaukee Bucks back on Dec. 6. The Cavaliers do come into this Dec. 8 meeting with the Bulls on a two-game losing streak.
Here’s a look at the betting odds and game prediction as the Bulls are set to take on the Cavaliers on the road in Cleveland, with tip-off time set for 6 p.m. CT on Dec. 8.
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are around a three-point underdog against the Cavaliers on Dec. 8. And the over/under is set around 212 points for this game.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls a 37.9 percent chance to beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers prediction
It’s clear why this game is going to be so challenging for the Bulls to come out on top. Missing DeRozan is enough to make it more difficult for the Bulls to beat teams in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference such as the Cavs. But missing roughly a half-dozen of the players on the 15-man roster is going to be very trying for the Bulls in the next week or 10 days.
This will place a ton of pressure on the shoulders of star shooting guard Zach LaVine and point guard Lonzo Ball. LaVine and Ball were tremendous for the Bulls in their Dec. 6 home win over the Nuggets. But they will need to come up big again on this night against the likes of guard Darius Garland, big man Jarrett Allen, and the Cavs.
The Cavs are definitely going to place an emphasis on stopping LaVine. Star center Nikola Vucevic will need to be a good secondary source of scoring in this game since LaVine and Ball can’t do it all.
It feels like much of the fate of this game will rest on the shoulders of LaVine and Vucevic once again. If these two can give the Bulls 50-60 points combined on an efficient shooting night, the Bulls will be in a good position to challenge the Cavaliers.
But this is an improved Cavaliers team that is playing pretty well, despite the two-game losing streak, since losing guard Collin Sexton for the rest of the regular season at least last month.