The Cleveland Cavaliers can clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference and the top seed in the East entering the postseason with a victory on Tuesday when they host the Chicago Bulls. The Cavaliers (62-16) have the second-best record in the NBA and lead the Boston Celtics by four games in the final week of the regular season. The Bulls (36-42) have played well lately though with three straight victories and going 7-3 over their last 10 games. This would be Cleveland’s first time as the top seed since the 2015-16 season when LeBron James led them to the title over the Warriors. Donovan Mitchell (ankle) is out for Cleveland. Coby White (rest) is out and Josh Giddey (forearm) is questionable for the Bulls.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers are favored by 12 points in the latest Bulls vs. Cavaliers odds, according to the SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 239.5 points. Before entering any Cavaliers vs. Bulls picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters the final week of the 2024-25 NBA regular season on a sizzling 155-115 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 21-10 (68%) on top-rated NBA against the spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Cleveland vs. Chicago. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Bulls vs. Cavs:
- Cavaliers vs. Bulls spread: Cavaliers -12 on DraftKings Sportsbook
- Cavaliers vs. Bulls over/under: 239.5 points
- Cavaliers vs. Bulls money line: Cavaliers -621, Bulls +428
- CHI: The Bulls are 6-3 against the spread (ATS) over their last nine games
- CLE: The Under has hit in three straight Cavaliers games
- Cavaliers vs. Bulls picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Cavaliers vs. Bulls streaming: FuboTV (try for free)
Why the Bulls can cover
The Cavaliers will be without Mitchell, who sprained his ankle in the second half against the Kings on Sunday. Mitchell returned and played the final 15:02 of the contest, but with the Cavaliers only needing to win one of their final four games or the Celtics lose one of their final four games to clinch the top seed in the East, there’s little reason to push Mitchell. The six-time All-Star’s absence could benefit the Bulls, who are still playing for seeding.
The Bulls are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference and are one game out of the No. 8 seed and avoiding the first elimination game. Meanwhile, a loss moves the Bulls down to the No. 10 seed, which would have them playing on the road in the first elimination contest on the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Bulls are 7-3 over their last 10 games and 12-4 over their last 16 games with only one loss by more than six points during that span. See which team to pick here.
Why the Cavaliers can cover
The Cavaliers are 7-0 without Mitchell this season with four of those victories coming by double-digits. As great of a player as Mitchell is, Cleveland’s depth has been one of its keys during its run to having the best record in the Eastern Conference. Darius Garland is second behind Mitchell at 20.4 points per game, followed by Evan Mobley (18.5 ppg) and Jarrett Allen (12.3 ppg) this season. Cleveland has the No. 1 scoring offense at 122.1 ppg and has scored at least 122 points in five of seven games without Mitchell.
Cleveland is 3-0 against Chicago this season and has won the last two meetings by an average of 20 points. Cleveland has been one of the most efficient teams in the league throughout the season, ranking second in shooting percentage (49.3%) and fourth in shooting percentage against (45.5%). The Cavaliers should be additionally motivated to lock up the top spot on Tuesday so they can rest their key players if they’d like heading into the postseason and begin the celebration of the top regular-season accomplishment. See which team to pick here.
How to make Cavaliers vs. Bulls picks
The model has simulated Bulls vs. Cavaliers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, projecting 227 points, and it also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Cavaliers vs. Bulls, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bulls vs. Cavaliers spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 155-115 roll on top-rated NBA picks since last season, and find out.
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