The NBA preseason has been in full swing since 4 October. Before the season tips off on 22 October, preseason gives the teams the opportunity to evaluate their rivals, try out new strategies, assess their own roster, and get ready for the season start.
As part of the preseason, Cleveland Cavaliers will be meeting Chicago Bulls on 18 October (or 19 October in Europe). The match will take place at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
In the 2023-24 season, Cleveland Cavaliers finished second in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, having won 48 and lost 32 games. Their defeat in the Conference semifinals came at the hands of the Boston Celtics with a 4 – 1 margin.
In the same season, Chicago Bulls didn’t qualify for the playoffs. Having won 39 and lost 43 games, they finished fourth in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. Their last game was the 8th seed against Miami Heat where the Bulls lost 91 – 112.
Below you will find previews, head-to-head stats, odds, and team analysis for Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Analysis and Team Preview
So far, the Cavaliers have played three games in the preseason: two home games with Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, 9 October and Indiana Pacers on Friday, 11 October, and one away game with Detroit Pistons on Thursday, 17 October. The Cleveland team lost all three games with the following results:
- Cavaliers 112 – 116 Bulls
- Cavaliers 117 – 129 Pacers
- Cavaliers 92 – 108 Pistons
Cavaliers will be entering the 2024-25 season with a new head coach, Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson was hired to replace John-Blair Bickerstaff who the team let go off after the defeat against the Celtics in the Conference semifinals in May 2024.
This season Cleveland entered the draft with only one pick for the first round. They picked Jaylon Tyson, a shooting guard from the University of California, who became the number 20 pick.
Before the start of the preseason, the Cavaliers re-signed five of its players: shooting guard/point guard Donovan Mitchell, power forward/center Evan Mobley, centre Jarrett Allen, centre Tristan Thompson, and small forward/shooting guard Isaac Okoro.
Apart from this, they made three additions: guard Darius Brown II (formerly Utah State Aggies), Australian shooting guard/small forward Luke Travers (formerly Melbourne United), and power forward JT Thor (formerly Charlotte Hornets).
The full team roster for the 2024-25 season currently looks the following:
| Position | Number | Name | Height | Weight |
| C | 31 | Allen, Jarrett | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| F | 21 | Bates, Emoni | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| G | 14 | Bernard, Jules | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| G | — | Brown II, Darius | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| G | 10 | Garland, Darius | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| G | 2 | Jerome, Ty | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| G/F | 3 | LeVert, Caris | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| G | 5 | Merrill, Sam | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| G | 45 | Mitchell, Donovan | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| F/C | 4 | Mobley, Evan | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| F | 8 | Nance, Pete | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| F | 20 | Niang, Georges | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| G/F | 35 | Okoro, Isaac | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| G | 9 | Porter, Craig Jr. | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) |
| G/F | 1 | Strus, Max | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| F/C | 13 | Thompson, Tristan | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 254 lb (115 kg) |
| F | 15 | Thor, JT | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) |
| G/F | 33 | Travers, Luke | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) |
| G/F | 24 | Tyson, Jaylon | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| F/C | 32 | Wade, Dean | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) |
Chicago Bulls: Analysis and Team Preview
For the Bulls, this will be their fifth game in the 2024-25 preseason. They have played four games, winning one home and one away, and losing one home and one away matches. The rivals in the home games were Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, 13 October and Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, 17 October. They played the away games against Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, 9 October and Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, 15 October. The scores to all these games are as follows:
- Bulls 116 – 112 Cavaliers
- Bulls 121 – 124 Grizzlies
- Bulls 107 – 111 Bucks
- Bulls 125 – 123 Timberwolves
Chicago Bulls will continue playing with their head coach of four years Billy Donovan who was signed in September 2020 for a four-year deal.
Same as their opponents, the Bulls entered the draft with only one pick in the first round. They picked American-Lithuanian small forward Matas Buzelis from the NBA G League Ignite that ceased to exist in 2024. Buzelis became the number 11 pick.
There were two re-signs in the team before the start of the season: Adama Sanogo and Patrick Williams, both power forwards.
Center/power forward Jalen Smith, formerly of Indiana Pacers, was added to the team. Meanwhile, centre Andre Drummond left the team to return to Philadelphia 76ers where he played the 2021-22 season.
The full team roster for the 2024-25 season currently looks the following:
| Position | Number | Name | Height | Weight |
| G | 2 | Ball, Lonzo | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| F | 17 | Bitim, Onuralp | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| F | 14 | Buzelis, Matas | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) |
| G | 5 | Carter, Jevon | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| F | 13 | Craig, Torrey | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 221 lb (100 kg) |
| G | 11 | Dosunmu, Ayo | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| G | 27 | Duarte, Chris | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| G | 3 | Giddey, Josh | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| G | 22 | Horton-Tucker, Talen | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 234 lb (106 kg) |
| G | 8 | LaVine, Zach | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| F | 32 | Liddell, E. J. | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| F | 34 | Lofton, Kenneth Jr. | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| F | 15 | Phillips, Julian | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) |
| F | 21 | Sanogo, Adama | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| C | 7 | Smith, Jalen | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| G | 00 | Steward, DJ | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 162 lb (73 kg) |
| F | 25 | Terry, Dalen | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| C | 9 | Vučević, Nikola | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| G | 0 | White, Coby | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| F | 44 | Williams, Patrick | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls: Head-to-Head
The rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls goes back to the time when Michael Jordan was drafted to the Bulls in 1984. It seemed to have died down after Jordan left the team for Washington Wizards, but rekindled when Cavaliers picked LeBron James in 2003.
So far, the teams have played against each other 234 times in the regular season. Chicago Bulls have won 133 games, while Cleveland Cavaliers have 101 wins to their credit.
In the last five games of the regular season, the Cavaliers won four times, however in the latest game on 28 February, 2024 the Bulls secured a victory.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls: Betting Odds at 7bet
If you are interested in placing bets on the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls match, 7bet offers multiple options to pick from. Visit the 7bet NBA preseason betting page and check out the odds before placing a bet.
Please note that the odds are accurate as per the publishing time of the article. Make sure to check the odds before placing a bet.
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