Scotiabank Arena will host an Eastern Conference tilt between the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls on Thursday evening. The Raptors are 10-10 at home this season, with Toronto entering at 16-25 overall and on the second night of a back-to-back. The Bulls are 19-23 overall and 6-13 on the road. Patrick Williams (ankle) is listed as questionable for Chicago, with Torrey Craig (foot) ruled out. Jakob Poeltl (ankle) is out for Toronto.
For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Bulls as 2-point favorites, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 228 in the latest Bulls vs. Raptors odds. Before you make any Raptors vs. Bulls picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bulls vs. Raptors and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Raptors vs. Bulls:
Bulls vs. Raptors spread: Bulls -2
Bulls vs. Raptors over/under: 228 points
Bulls vs. Raptors money line: Bulls -132, Raptors +112
CHI: The Bulls are 8-11 against the spread in road games
TOR: The Raptors are 3-4 against the spread with no rest
Bulls vs. Raptors picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Bulls can cover
DeMar DeRozan captains a Bulls team that is playing well right now in conjunction with the emergence of Coby White. DeRozan is averaging 22.0 points and 5.3 assists as the centerpiece of Chicago’s offense, and he has scored 20 points or more in 27 games this season. The Bulls are also 4-2 in the last six games and, over that span, White is shooting 51.7% from the field and 46.2% from 3-point range on the way to 22.8 points per game. In a broader sample of 29 games, White is enjoying the best stretch of his career, averaging 21.7 points and 5.3 assists, and he is putting up 18.5 points per game on 40.5% 3-point shooting for the full season.
Beyond individual contributions, the Bulls are excellent at taking care of the ball, committing only 12.4 turnovers per game to rank No. 2 in the NBA. Chicago is also facing a Toronto defense that has clear flaws, including bottom-tier marks in opponent 3-point percentage (38.8%), opponent field goal percentage (48.4%), and assists allowed (27.9 per game) in 2023-24. See which team to pick here.
Why the Raptors can cover
Toronto is led by Scottie Barnes, and the youthful forward is having a breakout season. He is averaging 20.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, and Barnes is averaging 21.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in home games. Toronto also leads the league in fast break points (17.8 per game) with a top-three mark in assists (29.5 per game). The Raptors round out their profile by shooting 48.2% from the field and averaging 54.0 points in the paint, with Toronto also committing only 13.2 turnovers per contest.
On defense, Toronto is elite at preventing free throw attempts, yielding fewer than 20 per game. The Raptors also can benefit from the issues of the Bulls. Chicago is just 6-13 on the road this season, with opponents out-scoring the Bulls by 7.1 points per 100 possessions in those games. The Bulls are also scoring only 1.12 points per possession on offense for the full season, with bottom-five marks in the NBA in 2-point shooting, free throw creation, and assists per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Raptors vs. Bulls picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 223 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread has all of the value. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
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