The Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference as they host the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Arena on Tuesday night.
Cleveland hasn’t been quite as sharp down the stretch after an outstanding season, and I’ll be taking Chicago to cover tonight in my Bulls vs. Cavaliers predictions.
Let’s take a closer look at tonight’s matchup in my free NBA picks for Tuesday, April 8.
Bulls vs Cavaliers prediction
My best bet: Bulls +13.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Likely NBA Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson has turned Cleveland around, and barring a complete collapse over the last four games of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers should grab the top seed in the East heading into the playoffs.
However, Cleveland has slowed a bit down the stretch after spending most of the season on a torrid pace. The Cavaliers are just 6-6 over their last 12 games, and have been even worse for bettors, going 3-9 ATS during that stretch.
There have been issues on both sides of the ball contributing to this mini-slump. It’s hard to criticize a Cleveland offense that has been the best in the league all year long, and it’s hardly as though it has completely fallen off the map. But the Cavs are averaging 118.3 ppg over this 12-game stretch, noticeably lower than the league-leading 122.1 ppg they’ve put up for the season overall.
Cleveland has been an offense-first team all season long, but it’s notable that the Cavaliers also rank eighth in the league in defensive efficiency. That level of defensive success has also slipped during this mediocre stretch, allowing 116.4 ppg – again, about four points higher than the 112.3 ppg Cleveland has allowed for the season overall.
That means that the Cavaliers are playing about eight points worse than they have for the season, enough to take them from one of the two most dominant teams in the league to one that is limping home to its top seed. With oddsmakers not wanting to overreact to this trend too quickly, the result has been a lot of losses for bettors backing the Cavs on the spread.
The Chicago Bulls come into tonight’s game healthy and riding a three-game winning streak, albeit against opponents that don’t compare to Cleveland. Overall, Chicago has now won seven of its last nine games, going 6-3 ATS in that stretch. While both Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic are nursing injuries, both are expected to play in tonight’s game, while the Cavs will be without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who will sit out with a left ankle sprain.
The Cavaliers should find a way to win this game tonight at home, but based on how both teams are playing, I can’t expect a blowout. I’m taking the Bulls to cover the enormous spread tonight.
Bulls vs Cavaliers same-game parlay
Bulls +13.5
Over 239.5
Nikola Vucevic 20+ points
Along with taking the Bulls to keep this one relatively close, I’ll also put in a bet on the Over to start my same-game parlay. Cleveland and Chicago have combined for three high-scoring games this season, and the last two meetings have each gone well over 250 points, making the Over the clear pick tonight for me.
Looking at the many scoring prop options on the table tonight, I’m going to pick Nikola Vucevic to hit the 20-point mark in this game. Vucevic is averaging 23.0 ppg so far in April, and has hit this total in three of his last five games overall. With the Bulls and Cavaliers both regularly playing to big totals, scoring should be up, and the Chicago center should get plenty of opportunities to reach 20+ points.
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Bulls vs Cavaliers odds
Bulls vs Cavaliers live odds
Bulls vs Cavaliers opening odds
- Spread: Chicago +14 (-110) | Cleveland -14 (-110)
- Moneyline: Chicago +650 | Cleveland -1000
- Over/Under: Over 238 (-110) | Under 238 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Bulls vs Cavaliers spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Bulls have gone 41-36-1 against the spread this season, with the Cavaliers putting up a similar 45-32-1 ATS record on the year.
- Cleveland is 3-0 straight up against Chicago this season, and has also gone 2-1 ATS in those games.
- The Over has a 49-29 record in Cavaliers games this season, and also has the 40-37-1 edge when the Bulls have played.
- Chicago is playing to an average total of 237.7 ppg on the season, with Cleveland averaging a total of 234.4 ppg.
Bulls vs Cavaliers trend
The Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Bulls vs. Cavaliers.
How to watch Bulls vs Cavaliers
| Location | Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH |
| Date | Tuesday, 4-8-2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio, Chicago Sports Network |
Bulls vs Cavaliers latest injuries
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