Bulls vs. Cavaliers prediction and odds for Saturday, February 11 (Interior defense the difference)
By Josh Yourish
The Chicago Bulls weren’t sellers at the trade deadline, but maybe they should have been. On Thursday, they lost to the new and certainly not improved, Nets to drop to 26-29, in ninth place in the East.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were also quiet at the deadline, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, they made their big trade in the offseason and Donnovan Mitchell had 30 last night in a win over New Orleans. The Cavs are fourth in the conference at 36-22.
Let’s get into the odds for this Central Division matchup in Cleveland.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers odds, spread and total
Bulls vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick
The Bulls have lost two in a row following a three-game win streak that was much needed, but they’ve almost ceded all the ground that they made up. Meanwhile the Cavs have won five straight and have covered in all five of those games. Cleveland is at a rest disadvantage, but they have the No. 1 scoring defense in the NBA and an advantage just about everywhere else on the floor.
With Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobely patrolling the paint in all of the crucial minutes of the game, the Cavs make it so hard for opposing scorers to get anything in the paint, or even the mid-range. That’s a problem for a DeMar DeRozan led team that isn’t littered with knockdown shooters. These teams haven’t played in a while, but last time they met, DeRozan was held to just 13 points and Cleveland won it, 128-96.
The Bulls are last in three-point attempts per game and if they’re trying to get everything from inside the arc I’ve got bad news. Cleveland is fourth in opponent two-point percentage.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change