Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls December 31 Betting Preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers (22-14) are skidding, as they’ve lost three straight games and have dropped in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Chicago Bulls (16-19) are getting themselves back into the mix, as they defeated the Detroit Pistons in their most recent game.

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Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview

The Cavs have been struggling, as they have lost their hold on the third seed in the East during their three-game losing streak.

Their most recent loss came to the Indiana Pacers, which didn’t make coach J.B. Bickerstaff happy.

“We kept giving up threes,” Bickerstaff said. “The three-ball is the way back into the game. It’s personnel-driven, understanding the person you’re guarding, being on high alert that that’s what they are looking for. I just didn’t think we had the focus on the defensive end of the floor because we were scoring points. We have to be able to do both."

The Cavs gave up 135 points in their loss to the Pacers, as that is uncharacteristic of them given that they give up the fewest points per game.

“This game was about our defense, or the lack of it,” said Bickerstaff. “We decided we wanted to play Indiana Pacers basketball and that's their strength. We didn't play Cleveland Cavaliers basketball and play to our strength.”

The Cavs are definitely at their best when they have their defense working, but they also have more than enough offense to make them a good team at that end of the floor, especially with the backcourt pairing of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

Chicago Bulls Betting Preview

The Bulls must be feeling good about their most recent win over the Bucks, as they’ve been having some tough, heated battles over these past few seasons.

DeMar DeRozan put up a clinic, as he finished with 42 points on 15-of-25 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists.

Zach LaVine added 24 points, Nikola Vucevic provided 15 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

The Bulls are missing a couple of big pieces in their backcourt but when their top guys are rolling, they are tough to beat on a nightly basis, especially when they take to their home floor.

The combination of DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic gives them all the scoring they need, as defenses have to worry about guarding the mid-range, the 3-point line and the paint.

Odds

The Cavs are favored in this one, as they hope to get back on track following a disappointing stretch.

However, their losing streak may have to wait to be snapped, as they will be going up against a team that’s been hot in their own right and hoping to climb up the standings.

Expect the Bulls to take care of business against the Cavs in Chicago.