The Bulls are trying to avoid the ninth defeat in a row, while the Cavaliers are hoping for the 12th straight victory. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -9 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 211 points (-110)
The Cavaliers are looking to extend the magnificent run
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a fantastic form at the moment as they won 11 consecutive games, and even though they endured the rough start of the season, now they’re looking like the championship material. Cleveland is currently in the 2nd position in the Eastern Conference with the 16-7 record, four wins behind the Boston Celtics, but Tyronn Lue’s side is at the top of the Central Division with two victories more than the Detroit Pistons.
The Cavs had fantastic 56% from the field in a latest 116:111 home win over the Memphis Grizzlies and one of the best defenses in the NBA couldn’t prevent them from scoring a bunch of points. The visitors were equal in most of the segments but were unable to stop King James and Cleveland’s high-flying offense. LeBron James led the Cavs with a double-double of 34 points (13-22 FG, 8-8 FT) and 12 assists, while Kevin Love posted a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. J.R. Smith added 17 points, five boards, and game-high three steals, while Dwyane Wade contributed with 16 points, four dimes, and a pair of rejections. LeBron is an obvious player to watch for Cleveland on Monday as he faces Denzel Valentine in a more than favorable matchup, while Love’s duel with Robin Lopez below the rims will be quite interesting. Smith has a matchup with Justin Holiday and I expect to see a classic shootout between the two, but D-Wade could be a trigger man off the bench and I think he will be motivated to torture his former team on this one, so the Bulls should pay special attention to him. Wade has been excellent lately as he is averaging 16.75 points per game in the previous four, and with him in the right mood, James and co. are looking much stronger. It seems that Derrick Rose’s injury opened the door for the former Miami Heat player to step in and become the No.3 man in the team alongside James and Love.
Tyronn Lue will likely be without Derrick Rose for the remainder of the season as the point guard is suffering from an ankle injury and there is no timetable for his return. Although D-Rose even contemplated retirement at one point, it looks like he is ready to return to the Cavaliers, but that will not happen before 2018. Iman Shumpert is out for two months with a left knee injury, while Tristan Thompson could return to the floor this week as he spent a month on the sidelines. Isaiah Thomas is still absent, but he could make Cleveland debut in the next couple of weeks. The Cavs are scoring 111.43 points per contest on average (3rd in the NBA), while they are allowing 108.87 points in return (25th in the NBA). Cleveland is among the best five teams (5th) when it comes to field goal percentage (47.97%), and their road offense is particularly good, ranking in the third place in field goal shooting, three-point shooting, and free-throw shooting.
Place: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Date/Time: Monday, December 4th, 2017, 8 PM ET
TV Coverage: WGN-TV, FOX SPORTS OHIO, SPORTSNET ONE
The Bulls are searching for the fifth straight home victory over Cleveland
The Chicago Bulls are in a terrible form of eight consecutive defeats and even an excellent home record with Cleveland probably will not help them in this tilt. Chicago was very unlucky to lose the previous two matches by just a point; first they fell short at Denver, and then at home against the Sacramento Kings, who won 107:106. Fred Hoiberg’s side is in the 15th position in the Eastern Conference with the 3-18 record, the worst record in the NBA, two wins fewer than the Atlanta Hawks.
The Bulls were pretty good in the offense and hit 13 triples on 36 attempts, but their defense didn’t impress as they allowed 107 points to the least efficient team in the league. Jerian Grant led Chicago with 17 points, six assists, and two steals, while Paul Zipser added 14 points and five rebounds. Lauri Markkanem didn’t have much of luck from the field (5-13) and he finished the clash with 14 points and five boards. Robin Lopez also scored 14 points, alongside five rebounds, and four dimes, Cristiano Felicio scored a season-high 12 points, while Justin Holiday contributed with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Kris Dunn had a quiet night as he finished with just six points and 2-9 from the field, but manage to record a game-high eight dishes. David Nwaba played a solid role off the bench with nine points, team-high nine board, and five dimes. Dunn should have a much better game against Cleveland, and I also expect to see more from Holiday, who could score around 20 points here. The Finnish international Markkanen could struggle in a matchup with Love, and in case that happens, the Bulls will need all the help from the likes of Grant, Dunn, Holiday, and Lopez.
Fred Hoiberg cannot count on Zach LaVine who is still sidelined but was assigned to the G-League affiliate, and we can expect to see the former Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard on the court soon. Nikola Mirotic is nearing his return from a facial injury and he could be even in the rotation for this tilt, while Bobby Portis is questionable with a right arm injury. The Bulls are scoring 95.90 points per contest on average (29th in the NBA), while they are allowing 106.95 points in return (17th in the NBA). Chicago is one of the best home teams (5th) when it comes to rebounding as they are averaging 46.56 boards per match at United Center.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls Trends & Prediction
The Cavs are 8-14-1 against the spread (7-4 away), while they are 13-9-1 on over/under (7-4 away), and considering Cleveland’s form of late, I am backing the visitors to win and to score more than 110 points here.
The Bulls are 9-11-1 against the spread (4-4-1 home), while they are 9-12 on over/under (2-7 home), and even though they are not scoring and conceding a lot at United Center, I think that will change in this one.
My Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -9 (-110)
Total: Over 211 points (-110)
