NBA Free Picks: Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 1/15/24

Chicago Bulls (19-22 SU, 20-20 ATS) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (22-15 SU, 18-17 ATS)

When: Monday, January 15th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH, Cleveland

TV: NBCS

Point Spread: Chi +4/Cle -4

Total: 220

Money Line: Chicago Bulls +145/-175

Notable Injuries

Bulls

• Lonzo Ball (Out) Knee
• Torrey Craig (Out) Right Foot
• Patrick Williams (Questionable) Ankle
• Ayo Dosunmu (Probable) Shoulder
• Dalen Terry (Probable) Patella

Cavaliers

• Darius Garland (Out) Jaw
• Ty Jerome (Out) Ankle
• Max Strus (Questionable) Knee
• Evan Mobley (Out) Knee

At 7:00 ET, the Bulls (+145) will travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers (-175). The Cavs are currently favored by 4 points and have won four straight games. The over/under line is set at 220.

This is a division matchup between the 4th place Bulls (19-22) and the 2nd place Cavaliers (22-15). Chicago is 9th in the Eastern Conference, while Cleveland is 4th.

Recent Form

Chicago is 19-22 this season after defeating the Spurs 122-116. In the Eastern Conference, they are in 9th place and 4th in the Central Division.

On the road, the Bulls are 6-12 for the season and have won their last two games straight up. Against the spread, they are 7-10 on the road and 20-20 overall.

As the underdog, the Bulls have gone 8-15 this season and are 12-11 ATS. They have lost three straight games against the spread as the underdog.

This season, the Bulls have an O/U record of 21-19-1, and the over has hit in their last four games. On average, their games have seen 223.1 points scored, and today’s O/U line is set at 220.

As the Cavaliers look to extend their win streak to five games, they are currently favored by 4 points over the Bulls. This season, Cleveland has been favored in 22 of their 37 games and have gone 16-6 in those games.

When looking at their ATS record, the Cavaliers are 18-17 overall and 10-11 at home. They have covered the spread in 11 of their 21 games as the favorite and are 11-10 ATS as the favorite.

In their last game, the Cavaliers defeated the Nets by a score of 111-102. The O/U line for that game was 221.5, giving them an under record of 6-6 for the season.

Cleveland’s O/U record for the season is 18-18-1, and their games have averaged 224.5 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 220 points.

Overall, the Cavaliers are 22-15 this season, which is good for 4th place in the Eastern Conference. Against other Eastern Conference teams, they are 14-9 and 3-3 in their division.

The Historicals

Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Cavaliers have an average scoring margin of +13 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 5-0. Over the course of these games, they averaged 219 points per game, leading a 2-3 over-under record.

Analysis

So far this season, the Bulls have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league. They are currently 27th in points per game at 110.6, and they are last in the NBA in pace at 96.6 possessions per game. In terms of field goal percentage, Chicago is 26th in the league at 45%.

When looking at their three-point shooting, the Bulls are 18th in the NBA at 36%. On average, they are making 11.9 three-pointers per game, which is 23rd in the league. In terms of free throws, Chicago is 23rd in the NBA at 16.5 made free throws per game.

Coming into this game, the Bulls have outscored the NBA scoring average in just 34.1% of their games. In terms of assists, they are 29th in the league at 24.1 per game.

At present, the Bulls’ defense is ranked 12th, allowing 112.5 points per game. In their previous matchup vs. the Spurs, the Bulls’ defense struggled, giving up a field goal percentage of 51% leading to 116 points.

At home, the Cavaliers are averaging 114.1 points per game, which is 22nd in the NBA. Overall, they are 20th in scoring at 113.2 points per game. In terms of pace, Cleveland is 22nd in the league.

So far this season, the Cavaliers have made 47% of their shots, which is 15th in the NBA. From beyond the arc, they are 25th in three-point shooting at 35%. In terms of three-point attempts, Cleveland is 12th in the league.

When it comes to getting to the free-throw line, the Cavaliers are 25th in both attempts and makes. In terms of assists, Cleveland is 13th in the NBA.

At present, the Cavaliers’ defense is ranked 4th, allowing 111.3 points per game. In terms of takeaways, Cavaliers are causing 13.4 turnovers per game, ranking 19th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 24th in rejections, averaging 4.6 blocked shots each game.

Betting Trends

• Although Chicago has a straight up record of 2-1 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs. the spread going 0-2-1. The team averaged 113 points per game in these games.
• In their last five home games, Cleveland has averaged 112 points per game while allowing 113. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-3 while going 3-1-1.
• Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, Chicago has an ATS mark of 0-3 while going 0-3 straight up.
• Through their last five games as the favorite, the Cavaliers have an ATS record of 4-1 and a straight up mark of 5-0.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

The Bulls have been playing much better of late, but a lot of their wins have come against other below .500 teams. When they have taken on quality opponents, they have struggled and often lose by big numbers. I’m taking Cleveland at -4.