The Chicago Bulls (11-15) and Cleveland Cavaliers (15-13) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will broadcast live on CHSN.
The Cavaliers are 6.5-point favorites over the Bulls on the spread (Cavaliers -6.5), with the over/under set at 239.5 total points. Cleveland is a 72-cent favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Chicago is priced at 29 cents to pull off the upset on Fanatics Markets.
Let's get into my Bulls vs. Cavaliers predictions and NBA picks for Friday, December 19.
My Bulls vs Cavaliers Prediction
- Bulls vs Cavaliers pick: Cavaliers -6.5
My Cavaliers vs Bulls best bet is on Cleveland to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at Fanatics Markets. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Bulls vs Cavaliers Odds
Bulls vs Cavaliers NBA Preview
There's a ton of noise around the Cavaliers, and it feels like that classic duplex plot where they alternate home wins.
The Bulls were at home against the Cavs and beat them on Wednesday. Now they go to Cleveland and have to play them in their building.
There are trade rumors surrounding Cleveland. There's an entire conversation about Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland saying they don't fit and can't impact winning at the highest level.
That is a far cry from where we were just six months ago.
We were coming into the year talking about Cleveland having a team that was solidified and didn't need to change very much, if anything at all, to be one of the top two or three teams in the East.
Similar to the Knicks, like this squad, swap out the coach, add a couple more bench guys, get a little deeper, and they're going to be a top-three team in the East.
The Cavs, I guess, let a couple pieces go off the bench, but still haven't been healthy and haven't been able to get on track. However, the vibe around them seems very, very poor.
This feels like a game coming off. They were down seven points going into the fourth quarter against the Bulls and ended up losing by 16. They were outscored in the fourth quarter, 32-23.
For me, this is just a bounce-back spot in their building, and the Bulls are not a team that I trust. I don't trust Cleveland either, but I do a bit more than the Bulls.
Also, keep an eye on the injury report. All this analysis is null and void if Donovan Mitchell doesn't play. He's questionable, and the Cavs absolutely need him in the fold to beat the Bulls.
Bulls vs Cavaliers Prediction, Betting Analysis
I'm going to lay -6.5 on the Cavaliers hosting the Bulls.
Yeah, the Cavs suck, and so do the Bulls.
Overall, they're not very good, but I don't trust the Bulls to put together back-to-back performances like they did the other night in Chicago.
I do trust Donovan Mitchell to show up in a major way. I think the Cavaliers have to get DeAndre Hunter more looks on offense.
He has to be more involved, way more involved than he is now. This could all happen in this matchup against the Bulls.
So I'll bet -6.5. I think Cleveland gets the dub by double digits here at home versus the Bulls.
Pick: Cavaliers -6.5
