Who’s Playing
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls
Current Records: Cleveland 16-13, Chicago 13-17
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: United Center — Chicago, Illinois
- TV: Bally Sports – Ohio
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $50.00
What to Know
The Cavaliers have enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls will face off at 8:00 p.m. ET on December 23rd at United Center without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. The Cavaliers are expected to lose this one by 4.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
Last Thursday, Cleveland found themselves the reluctant recipients of a 123-104 punch to the gut against New Orleans.
Meanwhile, the Bulls’ and the Spurs’ match on Thursday was close at halftime, but the Bulls turned on the heat in the second half with 62 points. Chicago blew past San Antonio 114-95. That 114-95 margin sets a new team best for the Bulls this season.
Cleveland’s defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 16-13. As for Chicago, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 13-17.
Saturday’s matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Cavaliers haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 13.6 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Bulls (currently ranked third in turnovers per game) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 11.5 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Cavaliers were able to grind out a solid win over the Bulls in their previous matchup back in February, winning 97-89. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cavaliers since the team won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Chicago is a 4.5-point favorite against Cleveland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bulls as a 5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 216.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Cleveland has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Chicago.
- Feb 11, 2023 – Cleveland 97 vs. Chicago 89
- Jan 02, 2023 – Cleveland 145 vs. Chicago 134
- Dec 31, 2022 – Cleveland 103 vs. Chicago 102
- Oct 22, 2022 – Cleveland 128 vs. Chicago 96
- Mar 26, 2022 – Chicago 98 vs. Cleveland 94
- Mar 12, 2022 – Chicago 101 vs. Cleveland 91
- Jan 19, 2022 – Chicago 117 vs. Cleveland 104
- Dec 08, 2021 – Cleveland 115 vs. Chicago 92
- Apr 21, 2021 – Cleveland 121 vs. Chicago 105
- Apr 17, 2021 – Chicago 106 vs. Cleveland 96
