The up and down Chicago Bulls welcome their Central Division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to the United Center tonight. The two familiar foes are scheduled to tip things off at 8:00pm ET on NBATV. The latest NBA Odds are favoring the Bulls at -8.5 against the spread and -400 on the moneyline ($400 wins $100). The Over/Under in tonight’s divisional battle is set at 189 points.
The month of February has not been kind to the Chicago Bulls as they have dropped seven of their 11 games and some in humiliating fashion.
The Bulls smashed 128-96 by the Nuggets, 86-67 by the Heat, and, most recently, 102-72 by the Thunder. Chicago’s problems are almost all offensive and its issues on that end of the floor really standout when they face teams that are adept at putting the ball in the basket.
Fortunately for the Bulls, the Cavaliers, who are averaging a modest 97.6 points per game, do not fall in that category. Cleveland has played better, for the most part, than Chicago of late, though.
The Cavs, who are 5-5 in their last 10 games, are coming off a competitive 109-105 loss at Miami, but they beat up on the Hornets (105-100) and Magic (118-94) prior to their meeting with the defending champs.
Nonetheless, Cleveland may have a mental hurdle to clear when it faces the Bulls this evening. Chicago has won the last 11 games between these two teams and most of those games, including a January 7th meeting at the United Center (Bulls won 118-92), were not close.
Notable Trends: The Cavaliers are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games as a road dog with a total between 185 and 190 points. The Bulls are 3-1 straight up but 1-3 against the spread this season when playing as a home favorite off a road loss.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls NBA Odds:
Cleveland Cavaliers +8.5 (-110), Over 189 (-110), +330 (Moneyline)
Chicago Bulls -8.5 (-110), Under 189 (-110), -400 (Moneyline)
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