Cavaliers vs Bulls Predictions & Odds (Oct. 22)
- The Cavaliers vs Bulls odds see Cleveland as 2-point road favorites on Saturday (October 22) at 8 pm ET
- Zach LaVine (knee) is expected to make his season debut after missing the Bulls first two games
- See below for the latest Cavaliers vs Bulls odds, plus our favorite bet to target
The NBA’s schedule makers certainly didn’t do the Bulls (1-1, 0-0 home) any favors in the opening week of the season. Chicago will play its third game in four nights on Saturday versus the Cavaliers (0-1, 0-1 away) after a hard fought defeat in Washington on Friday.
Oddsmakers believe the lack of rest will catch up with the Bulls in the NBA odds. They’re pegging Cleveland as short road favorites.
Cavaliers vs Bulls Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers | -2 (-110) | -130 | OFF |
| Chicago Bulls | +2 (-110) | +110 | OFF |
Odds as of October 21 at Barstool Sportsbook. Claim the Barstool Sportsbook promo code to bet on the Cavaliers vs Bulls game.
The Cavaliers opened up as a 2-point favorite, in a contest without a total posted as of Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 pm ET at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. This will mark the home opener for DeMar DeRozan and company.
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Chicago Bulls Betting Analysis
Speaking of DeRozan, the pride of Compton was excellent for the second consecutive game on Friday, pouring in 32 points in the Bulls 102-100 loss to the Wiz.
Bulls lose but DeMar DeRozan is our king pic.twitter.com/QHxrdrqEll
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) October 22, 2022
Chicago played for the second straight game without All-Star Zach LaVine, who sat due to knee management. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has already come and said that LaVine will make his debut on Saturday, which will ease the offensive burden on DeRozan.
The longshot NBA MVP odds contender had a 31% usage rate in the season opener. He followed that up by taking 23 shots on Friday.
Chicago was extremely efficient on offense in their season opening win in Miami, but after shooting 50% from the field in that outing they came back down to earth against Washington. The Bulls knocked down only 41% of their looks, and were just 7-of-27 from three.
Hell of a game. 1-1. We move! pic.twitter.com/JpVQdsyzHB
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 22, 2022
Defensively, they allowed the Wiz to shoot 50% from the field, and they lost the rebounding, assist and points in the paint battle. If not for some sloppy play by Washington (17 turnovers and 22 fouls), this game could have been a blowout.
Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Analysis
Cleveland meanwhile, were one of the teams hit hardest by injuries last season. They didn’t even make it through a quarter in their season debut on Wednesday in Toronto without being dealt a significant blow.
All-Star Darius Garland suffered a laceration to his left eye after getting poked by the Raps Gary Trent Jr, forcing him to leave the game.
#Cavs Darius Garland (eye) did not practice with the team today. He was back at the hotel. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland’s left eye is swollen closed and the team is currently preparing as if Garland won’t play against Chicago. However his official playing status is unclear
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 20, 2022
Garland was checked out back in Cleveland the following day, and while no structural damage was revealed, he won’t be back in the line-up anytime soon.
Without Garland running the point, the Cavs fell 108-105 to Toronto, despite an impressive Cleveland debut for Donovan Mitchell. The All-Star guard scored 31 points in his first game with his new team, while twin towers Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen chipped in 14 and 13 points respectively.
Donovan Mitchell in his #Cavs debut:
• 31 points
• 9 assists
• 57% FG
• 2 stealsSuperstar. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/kZNjFTiJWq
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) October 20, 2022
The Cavs shot 49% from the field and outscored the Raps 52-36 in the paint. Defensively they held their own defending two’s, but got burned from downtown. Toronto buried 43% of its threes, including multiple in transition that turned out to be the difference.
Cavaliers vs Bulls Prediction
You could argue if there’s ever a perfect time for a three games in four nights stretch, the beginning of the campaign when everybody is fresh is the time to do it.
Chicago should get a big boost from LaVine’s return, as the 27-year-old averaged over 24 points per game last season. The Bulls were 3-1 against the Cavs in 2021-22 and the absence of Garland should not be understated.
Garland led Cleveland in points, assists and steals last season, and while Mitchell should cover up the missing scoring production, he can’t run the offense like Garland can.
"He's a fighter. He's a competitor. He's gonna be back strong."
– Donovan Mitchell on Darius Garland pic.twitter.com/ZLECk9sRdT
— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) October 21, 2022
Expect the Cavs offensive efficiency to decline, and also for their production in the paint to regress. The Raptors don’t feature bonafide rim protectors like Chicago with Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond, making it unlikely we get another 52 points from Cleveland down low.
Pick: Chicago Bulls +2 (-110)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
