The Cleveland Cavaliers will tell you they don’t believe in moral victories, but their season opener on Wednesday in Toronto against the Raptors has to count as one. Playing a team expected to be in the same basic tier as the Cavs, on the road, and losing their All-Star point guard early in the contest could have sparked a bad defeat.
Instead, the Cavs battled and nearly came away with a win, losing by only three to the Raps. Donovan Mitchell looked as advertised running the offense and scoring 31 points and nine assists, while Cedi Osman got hot and Caris LeVert debuted as a starter.
Yet they do come into Chicago at 0-1, while facing a Bulls team that is 1-1 after DeMar DeRozan carried them to a win over the Miami Heat and then last night the Washington Wizards snuck out a two-point win. What are the betting odds, who will play and what’s a prediction for what will happen?
Betting odds, spread, over/under
On the front-end of a back-to-back, the Cleveland Cavaliers are favored by 1.5 points in Chicago over the Bulls. The over/under point total is 217.5.
Cavs injury report
It was announced on Friday that while Darius Garland has avoided a serious eye injury, he will miss Saturday’s game in Chicago and the Cavs will therefore need to replace him in the starting lineup and rotation.
#Cavs Darius Garland (eye) is OUT tomorrow night against Chicago.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 21, 2022
Additionally, Dylan Windler is still out nursing an ankle injury, and Ricky Rubio continues to be out indefinitely recovering from a torn ACL. All other players are expected to be available.
Cleveland Cavaliers starting lineup tonight
It’s something of a question as to who will replace Darius Garland in the starting lineup. Cedi Osman started the second half against the Raptors on Wednesday, but it’s very possible that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff elects to start Isaac Okoro for more defense or Raul Neto for more passing. Osman is just our best guess until it is announced.
Cavs: Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Cedi Osman, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Bulls: Ayo Dosunmo, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, Nikola Vucevic
Prediction
The Chicago Bulls are getting a major boost tonight with the return of All-Star guard Zach LaVine, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be without their All-Star guard in Darius Garland. That will bring the talent level of these two teams closer together.
The Bulls try to break teams on offense by pulling centers away from the rim with the shooting of Nikola Vucevic. The Cavs will be unfazed by this, because they can keep their size and still match up; both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are superb defending in space. The defensive intensity the Cavs can dial up will throttle down the Bulls’ attack.
On the other end, the Bulls are missing Lonzo Ball, so even with Garland out the Bulls will be hard-pressed to stop Donovan Mitchell. DeRozan should get his, but the Cavs are in position to win a low-scoring game.
Cavaliers 100, Bulls 95
CAVS -1.5, UNDER 217.5
What channel is the Cleveland Cavaliers game on?
The game is going to be on NBA League Pass for most viewers, while those local to Cleveland can watch the game on Bally Sports Ohio and those in Chicago can tune into NBA Sports Chicago.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. live stream
If you need a live stream, check out FuboTV for a free trial!
Cleveland Cavaliers next games and schedule
After the Bulls and Wizards met on Friday, and the Cavs and Bulls meet tonight, the do-si-do will finish when the Cavs host the Wizards in their home opener tomorrow night. They stay home Wednesday to face Rookie of the Year favorite Paolo Banchero, then hit the road for Beantown and the defending Eastern Conference Champions.
Sun, Oct 23 – vs Washington Wizards
Wed, Oct 26 – vs Orlando Magic
Fri, Oct 28 – @ Boston Celtics
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change