The Chicago Bulls host the Cleveland Cavaliers at United Center on Wednesday night, and both teams badly need a clean win. The Cavaliers come in at 15-12, sitting seventh in the East, while the Bulls are 10-15 and down in 11th.
The Bulls are still trying to stabilize after a rough stretch. They just snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 129-126 comeback win over the Hornets, then dropped the next one 114-104 against the Pelicans.
The Cavs are also coming off a gut-punch, losing 119-111 in overtime to the Hornets in a game where the Cavaliers failed to score in the extra period.
On paper, this is also a style clash. The Bulls can score; they average 117.3 points per game, but they also give up 122.7, which is how you end up living on the edge every single night. The Cavaliers are cleaner defensively, allowing 115.9 while scoring 118.7.
Injury Report
Cavaliers
Chris Livingston: Out (G League, two-way)
Sam Merrill: Out (right hand sprain)
Evan Mobley: Out (left calf strain)
Larry Nance Jr.: Out (right calf strain)
Max Strus: Out (left foot surgery, Jones fracture)
Luke Travers: Out (G League, two-way)
Bulls
Ayo Dosunmu: Questionable (right thumb sprain)
Noa Essengue: Out (left shoulder surgery)
Trentyn Flowers: Out (G League, two-way)
Emanuel Miller: Out (G League, two-way)
Lachlan Olbrich: Out (G League, two-way)
Evan Mobley being out is the headline here. He’s been a major piece of what the Cavaliers want to do on both ends, and ESPN reported he’s expected to miss two to four weeks with a Grade 1 calf strain.
Why The Bulls Have The Advantage
The Bulls’ best shot is making this a shot-making game and leaning into their guard play.
Josh Giddey has been the engine all season, putting up 20.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists while shooting 47.8% from the field. Coby White has given them a real scoring punch too, at 21.7 points and 5.0 assists. If they get both guys rolling early, they can force the Cavaliers into rotations and make this feel uncomfortable fast, especially with the Cavs missing key perimeter spacing pieces.
The Bulls also have a real interior foundation. Nikola Vucevic is averaging 15.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, and he’s the kind of big who can punish smaller lineups with post touches or pull a rim protector away from the paint. With Mobley out, that matchup gets more interesting, because the Bulls can try to make the Cavs defend size for long stretches and hunt second-chance points.
The other angle is urgency. The Bulls are sitting at 10-15 and have already shown they can swing games with effort, as the comeback win over the Hornets, where they shot 55.9% from the field. If the Bulls bring that same pace and shot confidence at home, they can absolutely make this a scrap.
Why The Cavaliers Have The Advantage
Even with the injury list, the Cavaliers still have the two biggest edges in this matchup: top-end scoring and a much more stable defense.
Donovan Mitchell is having a monster season at 30.7 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field. The Bulls’ biggest issue defensively is that it bleeds points, allowing 122.7 per game, and that is basically an open invitation for a scorer like Mitchell to control the night.
The Cavaliers’ defense is also simply more trustworthy over 48 minutes. They allow 115.9 points per game, which gives them a margin for error that the Bulls don’t have. The Bulls can score plenty, but when their offense cools for even a short stretch, they tend to get buried because they can’t consistently get stops.
Mobley being out does change things, but they still have structure. Jarrett Allen gives them a steady paint presence, and he’s shooting efficiently this year at 56.3% from the field while averaging 14.0 points. Even when the Cavaliers look clunky, they rarely look chaotic.
And big picture, the Cavaliers know they’ve underwhelmed relative to last season. They went 64-18 and finished first in the East in 2024-25, so sitting seventh right now is not where they expected to be. This is exactly the kind of game where a serious team locks in, handles business, and moves on.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers Prediction
The Bulls can absolutely keep this close if Giddey and White control tempo and Vucevic wins his touches inside. But over a full game, I trust the Cavs’ defense and Mitchell’s ability to generate points without the Bulls gifting him anything.
The Bulls’ numbers tell you they’re living in high-scoring coin flips almost every night. The Cavaliers’ numbers tell you they can win even when the offense is not perfect.
Prediction: Cavaliers 122, Bulls 112
