by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 18, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL
Where to watch: NBCSCH, BSOH
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Cavaliers -1
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: NL
Season record
Cavaliers: 27-18 (4th place, Eastern Conference)
Bulls: 27-15 (1st place, Eastern Conference)
Bulls: 27-15 (1st place, Eastern Conference)
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Cavaliers - Bulls preview, analysis and prediction
It’s the year of our lord 2021 and two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference are … the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls?
Upon further inspection of the rosters, LeBron James and Derrick Rose are not listed and we have not jumped into a time machine. As expected, this one opens as a pick-em in most books, but has the Cavaliers listed as slight favorites over the Bulls.
And the more you give it some thought, the Cavs seem like the operable play heading into Wednesday’s matchup at United Center.
The Cavaliers have won five straight and just wrapped up a six-game road trip against the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz. Cleveland returned home for a quick trip on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, winning 114-107 against the Kevin Durant-less Nets.
But it was still an impressive win given how the Nets still have James Harden and Kyrie Irving. But it was Darius Garland stealing the show in the battle of point guards, going for 22 points and 12 assists, and Jarrett Allen completed his revenge game by making all six shots and going for 14 points and 10 rebounds.
"It's a signature win for us against a high-level team," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Obviously with reasons why and excuses coming back off that long road trip and all those things, playing against two of the most elite players in our league, and our guys figuring out a way.”
That win put the Cavaliers only 1.5 games back of the Bulls for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Miami Heat and Nets not that far behind.
Not only have the Cavaliers shocked the world in the NBA standings, but on the books, as well. The Cavs have been money going 28-14 against the spread overall this season and are 14-5 ATS after playing at home the previous game. Following two straight wins, the Cavs are 12-3-2 ATS.
It seems like a nightmare scenario for the Bulls, who are already down Zach LaVine for the foreseeable future with a knee injury. The Bulls’ backcourt of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso will also be out for the game.
Chicago, which is 13-8 ATS at home this season, comes in on a four-game losing streak and is 1-3 ATS since LaVine went down with his injury. The defense that has also been the Bulls’ calling card has been nonexistent with the over going 3-0-1 in the last four, including the Bulls’ 119-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
"I thought we kind of got bogged down," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of the second quarter. "We had some possessions there that weren't great, and then I think the other thing too was the turnovers really hurt us."
As close of a game as this is on the books, the Cavs are the healthier team and have the potential to overwhelm the shorthanded Bulls. If this line moves any more than where it opens, I’d consider putting more on this. Cavs by 12
Betting trends
The under is 4-0 in the Cavs' last four against a team with a home winning percentage of .600 or better.
The Cavs are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four when their opponent allows 100 points or more the previous game.
The Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last four after scoring at least 100 points the previous game.
The over is 5-1-1 in the Bulls' last seven following an outright loss.
Projected starting lineup
Cavaliers:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Isaac Okoro
SF: Lauri Markkanen
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
SF: Lauri Markkanen
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
Bulls:
PG: Coby White
SG: Ayo Dosunmu
SF: Troy Brown Jr.
PF: DeMar DeRozan
C: Nikola Vucevic
SF: Troy Brown Jr.
PF: DeMar DeRozan
C: Nikola Vucevic
Key injuries
Cavaliers: Rajon Rondo (hamstring, out), Ricky Rubio (ACL, out), Collin Sexton (knee, out)
Bulls: Zach LaVine (knee, out), Lonzo Ball (knee, out), Alex Caruso (foot/conditioning, questionable),
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
