The new-look Chicago Bulls will hit the road on Sunday night to take on their Central Division rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in an NBA preseason game.
Unbeaten Bulls Square Off With Cavaliers
The new-look Chicago Bulls will hit the road on Sunday night to take on their Central Division rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in an NBA Betting preseason game. The contest is scheduled for a 7 pm ET tipoff at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
The Bulls remade much of their team this offseason, bringing in guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso and forward DeMar DeRozan to team with guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic. Chicago is 2-0 in the preseason, having routed the Cavaliers in their first game, 131-95, before topping New Orleans 121-85 on Friday.
Cleveland is 2-1 this preseason, coming off a 109-100 loss to Indiana on Friday night. The Cavaliers are hoping to take a step closer to playoff contention this season.
If you want to bet online on this contest, Bovada has made the Bulls a 6.5-point favorite in this one, with the over/under set at 220.5. Chicago is -250 on the moneyline, while the Cavaliers are listed at +210.
BetUS has some slightly different numbers if that’s the sportsbook you decide to choose. The point spread is still 6.5 points with BetUS, with the over/under set at 220.5. Chicago has a moneyline of -250, while the Cavaliers can be had at +200.
TOP #3 Sports Betting Sites to Bet on NBA
Exciting Team
The addition of Ball to any team makes them more exciting just because of his passing ability and penchant for getting out into the open floor. Teaming that with a scorer like LaVine has many around the NBA Odds believing Chicago can take a big step forward this season.
In the preseason opener, LaVine led the way with 25 points, including hitting 4-of-6 from three-point range, in just 25 minutes of playing time. He followed that up with 21 points in the win over the Pelicans.
Ball was all over the floor against the Cavaliers, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in 26 minutes. Against his former team, Ball was even better, scoring 19 points to go with five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.
The backcourt could allow Vucevic to get more looks, as he’s nearly averaging a double-double this NBA preseason with 13 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Caruso came off the bench in his Chicago debut and had 10 points and ten assists in 20 minutes on the floor, then followed that with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals against the Pelicans.
Still Building
Cleveland didn’t make any major trades this offseason, preferring to continue to let its young players develop under second-year coach J.B. Bickerstaff. The addition of veteran guard Ricky Rubio along with former Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen and lottery pick Evan Mobley should add to the Cavaliers’ depth this season.
Guard Collin Sexton has picked up where he left off last season, averaging 14.3 points and 2.0 assists in the three preseason games. He’ll be the top offensive option for this team, though the hope is he won’t have to try to take over games with more complementary pieces available.
Mobley, the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, is high on the NBA odds for Rookie of the Year, and he’s showing some of that potential in the preseason. The 20-year-old is averaging 8.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27 minutes of action through three games.
Third-year guard Darius Garland also has the potential to be a scorer, though he’s usually more of a facilitator. In the preseason, Garland is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 assists.
Bulls Win Again
Chicago has an energy about it, especially in the preseason, that is going to be hard to match for the Cavaliers. The Bulls like to get out and run, and they have plenty of options for scoring as well.
Cleveland is able to run at times, but it just doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with the Bulls just yet. When making your NBA picks, look for Chicago to stay unbeaten with another win over the Cavaliers.