Bulls vs. Cavaliers best bet: Chicago valuable underdog with Garland doubtful

The Chicago Bulls are starting to turn their season around, although they lost at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers by one point in their final game of 2022.

Chicago still covered the spread for those who trusted the Bulls at 2.5-point underdogs, and find themselves back as dogs on the road on Monday.

Cleveland has been one of the best home teams in the NBA this season, going 16-4 straight up, but it could be without a few key players on Jan. 2. Darius Garland (doubtful) and Evan Mobley (questionable) are both on the injury report for this game.

The Cavs have failed to cover the spread in four straight games, and they could find themselves in a tough game against the Bulls, who have picked up straight up wins in their last three road games.

It’s tough to beat a team two games in a row, especially after such an even first matchup. Here’s a look at the latest odds for round two between the Cavs and Bulls:

Bulls vs. Cavaliers odds, spread and total

Bulls vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick

The Bulls have not played as well as they would have liked to start this season, but they have been a great bet as road underdogs so far in the 2022-23 campaign, going 9-5-1 against the spread.

Even as good as Cleveland has been at home, Garland’s likely absence is a major concern for the team offensively.

Chicago has the scoring to keep up, between DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, and it showed that in the close loss on Saturday night.

The Cavs have much better season-long numbers than the Bulls, but I think this is a buy-low spot on Chicago after covering in the last matchup between these two teams.

If Mobley and Garland both sit, this line is going to move towards Chicago. If you’re confident in the Bulls, jump on them early as dogs here.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.