Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine went off on Friday night, leading the team to a huge win over the Detroit Pistons, to push the Bulls into the No. 10 spot in the East.
Chicago has a quick turnaround on Saturday, as it hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first game of a home and home between the two teams.
The Bulls have played six back-to-backs already this season, going 4-2 against the spread in the second leg of those games.
The Cavs have struggled on the road this season, going 6-10 straight up and 3-5-1 against the spread as road favorites. The team is on a three-game losing streak, giving up 135 points to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night in a losing effort.
Despite their recent struggles, the Cavs are still third in the NBA in net rating, compared to the Bulls all the way down at 22nd in the league.
After rumors have surrounded the Bulls all season about blowing up their roster, the team is just 2.5 games out of the No. 6 seed in the East. Can Chicago continue the positive momentum in this game?
Let’s check out the latest odds and make a best bet for this matchup:
Cavaliers vs. Bulls odds, spread and total
Cavaliers vs. Bulls prediction and pick
The Cavs have been an elite defensive team this season, but they’ve struggled on this three-game losing streak, giving up 118, 125 and 135 points in those games.
The Bulls have multiple strong individual scorers in LaVine and DeRozan, and they should be able to attack Cleveland’s wings and guards in this game. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are great offensive players, but the Bulls can exploit them on the other end of the floor.
It’s important to find out LaVine’s status before betting on this game, as he’s dealt with a knee issue that could lead to him resting on the second night of a back-to-back.
If he does play, I like the Bulls to cover in this game, as home dogs.
Cleveland has a great record, but it’s skewed by the team going 16-4 at home this season. After seeing the defense struggle as of late for the Cavs, I don’t think they run away with this game on the road with the Bulls playing much better as of late.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.