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The Cleveland Cavaliers had a rough patch early in the season, but boy are they over it. Whatever was ailing LeBron James and Co. has passed. The Cavs are on an 11-game winning streak heading into Monday's night matchup at Chicago.

The Cavs are an 8.5-point favorite, down from an opening line of 9.5. The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 210.5.

Before picking either side of Monday's matchup, you need to read what SportsLine NBA expert Galin "The Dragon" Dragiev has to say about it. When it comes to predictions, this veteran writer trusts numbers above all else. That's no surprise, as he has degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Physics, after all.

And when it comes to Cavs games, Dragiev is on target. He has hit on 15 of his past 21 picks against the spread involving Cleveland, a red-hot 71.4-percent winning percentage. Now, he's locked in his pick for Cavs-Bulls on Monday.

LeBron James is having another MVP-caliber season, averaging 28.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.7 assists while shooting a ridiculous 58.3 percent from the field. Kevin Love is averaging 19.0 points and 10.3 boards.

Guard Derrick Rose has missed the past 12 games due to a sore ankle, but the Cavs (16-7) have not missed a beat thanks to the play of Iman Shumpert in his place. But now Shumpert is out 6-8 weeks after undergoing knee surgery Thursday.

The Bulls' expectations for success this season were low, but it has been a rough start, losing eight in a row and sporting a 3-18 record.

The past four defeats have been be seven points or fewer, with the last two each one-point losses.

Justin Holiday is emerging as a front-line player for the Bulls. The fourth-year pro out of Washington had 25 points, including six 3s, plus five assists in a 104-99 loss to the Suns last week. Last Thursday, he had 16 points in a one-point loss to the Nuggets.

There is help on the horizon, starting Monday night. Chicago will welcome back Bobby Portis from a brief arm injury. And Nikola Mirotic (face) is expected to make his season debut later this week. Zach LaVine is expected back from a torn ACL later this month.

Will LeBron James and the Cavs continue their torrid run, or can the growing Bulls win -- or at least cover? Dragiev's pick is in, and it's exclusively at SportsLine. Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread winner of Cavs-Bulls, and see what key stat determines which side of the line you need to be all over, all from an expert who's a blistering 15-6 on Cavs' picks.