Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Match Preview, Prediction, Betting Odds & Spreads - March 12th, 2022

The Cleveland Cavaliers will end their three-game road schedule with a matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at the United Center. Cleveland, who will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, are tied with Chicago 1-1 in their season series.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s injury-riddled team is in danger of losing the coveted sixth seed in the East. They were outmatched by the Miami Heat in their last game and have lost seven of their last 10 games.

Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Kevin Love have continued to play well but will need better and more consistent contributions from the rest of the lineup.

The Chicago Bulls, who are also beset by injuries, snapped their five-game losing streak against the lowly Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Chicago is technically tied with the Boston Celtics for the fourth seed in the East.

With plenty of games left, they run the risk of dropping further in the standings as they wait for Alex Caruso, Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams to return.

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At one point, the Chicago Bulls were sitting comfortably on top of the stacked East before injuries took their toll on the team. Caruso is listed as questionable, but unlikely to play against the Cavaliers. Fortunately for them, they still have DeMar Derozan who’s playing at an MVP level with Zach LaVine's able support.

Match Details

Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls | NBA 2021-22 season.

Date & Time: Saturday, March 12th; 8:00 PM ET (Sunday, March 13th; 6:30 AM IST).

Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL.

Cleveland Cavaliers Preview

Injuries are starting to spoil the Cleveland Cavaliers' fairy tale season. [Photo: Cleveland.com]

Adversity seems reluctant to let go of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They lost Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio earlier in the season to injuries and have missed new acquisition Caris LeVert in their last eight games. Cleveland suffered yet another setback with Jarrett Allen suffering a broken finger in his left hand.

Allen’s absence has been felt even with the presence of Evan Mobley. As good as the rookie has been on defense, the All-Star Allen has a more polished offensive game. Without Allen, the Cavs' defense has slackened in the past few games.

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Cedi Osman, Lauri Markkanen, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade have been significant contributors this season and will need to step up. Darius Garland will once more carry the scoring burden for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup

G - Darius Garland | G - Isaac Okoro | F - Dean Wade | F - Lauri Markkanen | C - Evan Mobley.

Chicago Bulls Preview

DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have been impressive this season for the Chicago Bulls. [Sports Illustrated]

DeMar DeRozan’s spectacular big-game performances this season have become so consistent that it’s almost expected of him every time the Chicago Bulls play. Against the lowly Pistons, the All-Star was again brilliant in the fourth quarter where he scored 16 of his 36 points.

Without Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball, the Chicago Bulls have relied more on their offense to stay afloat. However, the offense has not been enough at times as LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are dealing with nagging injuries.

Ayo Dosunmu, Colby White, Tristan Thompson and Derrick Jones Jr. will be asked to do more to keep their hopes of a top-four spot alive.

Chicago Bulls Predicted Lineup

G - Ayo Dosunmu | G - Zach LaVine | F - DeMar DeRozan | F - Javonte Green | C - Nikoka Vucevic.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Betting Odds & Spreads - March 12th, 2022

Team	Record	Money Line	Total Points (Over and Under)	Point Spread
Cleveland Cavaliers	38-28	+130	Over 220.5 (-110)	+3 (-110)
Chicago Bulls	40-26	-154	Under 220.5 (-110)	-3 (-110)

Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are dealing with injuries to their top players. However, Chicago will be marginal favorites to win this game due to their impressive record on their home floor. The Bulls have lost only 10 times this season when playing at the United Center.

Despite suffering multiple injuries, the Cavaliers battled the near full-strength Miami Heat well before finally getting overwhelmed in the end last time out. Cleveland has been dealing with adversity for much of the season and will learn to adapt along the way. They’re expected to give the favored Bulls a tough battle.

Odds sourced from FanDuel SportsBook

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls Betting Tips

Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Tips

As the primary scorer and playmaker, Darius Garland is averaging 26.8 points, 8.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, when underdogs by 3 points or more, are 20-11 against the spread this season.
Cleveland has a 3-7 record in their last 10 NBA games while covering the spread three times in that span.

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Chicago Bulls Betting Tips

DeMar DeRozan has been the Bulls’ best and most dangerous scorer and has averaged an impressive 31.2 points in the last 10 games.
In games they were favored in by 3 points or more so far this season, the Bulls have gone 20-8 against the spread.
Chicago is 31-14 against the spread when it shoots better than 44.6% from the field. They are hitting 49.3% in their last 10 games.

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Cavaliers vs Bulls Match Prediction

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing on the back end of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls, who have not played for two nights. The well-rested Bulls’ home court record is nothing to sneeze at even without Caruso and Ball. Consequently, Chicago could go 2-1 up in their season series after this game.

The over/under for the game of 220.5 is 1.1 points more than the combined points per game averages for the Bulls (112.5 points per game) and the Cavaliers (106.9 points per game).
In the Cavaliers’ last loss to the Bulls, they still had Jarrett Allen in the lineup while the Bulls were already missing Caruso and Ball.
Without Caruso and Ball, Chicago’s previously stout defense has dropped to the bottom 10 in defensive ratings.

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