Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls: Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick

Two teams that could meet in the first round of the 2017 NBA playoffs will square off Thursday, when the Chicago Bulls (35-39) host the Cleveland Cavaliers (47-26) as solid home underdogs.

The Bulls sit just behind the Miami Heat for the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, while the defending champion Cavs are hoping to finish the season strong and fight off the Boston Celtics for the top seed to ensure home-court advantage.

Point spread: The Cavaliers opened as six-point favorites; the total is at 211.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NBA betting pick, per OddsShark computer: 111.8-99.8 Bulls (NBA picks on every game)

Why the Cavaliers Can Cover the Spread

There is no doubt that Cleveland is struggling, losing four of six straight up and failing to cover the spread in six of seven.

But the Cavaliers still have the best squad in the Eastern Conference on paper and will visit the Celtics on Wednesday in a crucial game for both teams. Until then, Cleveland simply needs to focus more and work on team chemistry to break its two-game skid.

Why the Bulls Can Cover the Spread

Chicago is still trying to move past losing Dwyane Wade for the rest of the regular season but is hopeful he can return for the playoffs. However, leading scorer Jimmy Butler has been much better without Wade by his side this year, averaging nearly seven more points (26.2) and making four percentage points more of his shots (46.7) per 36 minutes, according to NBA.com.

Butler dished out a career-high 14 assists and scored 20 points in a 109-94 win for the Bulls over the Milwaukee Bucks as 6.5-point road underdogs on Sunday to keep Chicago in postseason contention.

Smart Betting Pick

No team has been more perplexing to wager on than Chicago this season, playing great one game and terrible the next. The Bulls have covered the spread in five straight as underdogs, winning three of their last four under that scenario SU. Then again, their last loss came to the Philadelphia 76ers 117-107 as 6.5-point home favorites on Friday.

The Cavs have lost the previous four meetings between these teams, failing to cover the last six in the series, with only one SU victory dating back to the beginning of the 2015 season. Cleveland needs to win here, but Chicago will keep this matchup close to cover the spread again.

NBA betting trends

Cleveland is 1-6 ATS in its past seven games.

Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its past five games on the road.

The total has gone under in five of Chicago's past seven games at home.

All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.