The Toronto Raptors hope to put an end to its dry spell while the Chicago Bulls seek for its second consecutive victory as they collide this Monday at the Scotiabank Arena.
(Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
“Toronto dropped its fourth game in a row on Thursday after suffering a 114-104 road loss to the Miami Heat while Chicago snapped its two-game losing skid with a 109-95 blowout win against the Charlotte Hornets.”
- This will be the first of four meetings between the Raptors and the Bulls with both teams slated to face each other three times next year.
- Early Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls betting lines have the Raptors a slight one-point favorite in this matchup versus the Bulls and that has a lot to do with their impressive record of covering the spread at home.
- For context, the Raptors sport a 10-3 Against-The-Spread (ATS) slate at home and are currently riding a three-game ATS win streak.
Will the short-handed Raptors continue to overcome the odds and cover the spread or will the Bulls build on their winning momentum and score its second consecutive victory?
As of press time, here are the current Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls odds as we head into this exciting Eastern Conference showdown.
Toronto Raptors
vs
Chicago Bulls
Bet365
NBA
Odds for
December 16
Moneyline
- Toronto Raptors: -115
- Chicago Bulls: -105
Spread
- Toronto Raptors: -1 (-110)
- Chicago Bulls: +1 (-110)
Over/Under (Total)
- OVER 239.5 (-110)
- UNDER 239.5 (-110)
Toronto Raptors
vs
Chicago Bulls
Injury Report
Toronto Raptors Injury Report
- Scottie Barnes – Ankle – Out
- Immanuel Quickley – Elbow – Out
- Bruce Brown – Knee – Out
Chicago Bulls Injury Report
- Torrey Craig – Personal – Out
- Dalen Terry – Knee – Out
- Nikola Vucevic – Illness – Probable
- Zach LaVine - Back - Questionable
- Lonzo Ball - Ankle - Questionable
Best NBA odds for
Toronto Raptors
vs
Chicago Bulls
- The Toronto Raptors have covered the spread 10 times in 13 home games this season. The best Toronto Raptors odds for the home team to cover the spread are available on Bet365 for a solid price of -110.
- The Chicago Bulls more than covered the spread after coming in as 5.5-point favorites in their last game versus the Charlotte Hornets. Bet365 has the Bulls to extend their winning streak and cover the spread at -110.
- A low-scoring affair is usually in the cards when the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls face off with the under market total hitting in seven of their last 10 encounters. The best Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls odds for the under are available on DraftKings at -110.
Why will the
Toronto Raptors
cover the spread?
The Toronto Raptors played its first game without bruising small forward Scottie Barnes on Thursday and as expected they dropped a 114-104 decision against the red-hot Miami Heat squad.
The 20-year old Barnes, who has been averaging impressive numbers of 20.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists this season, was sidelined versus the Heat and is expected to be out for several weeks after sustaining a right ankle sprain against the New York Knicks last week.
- However, Barnes’ absence did not stop the Raptors from fighting for every possession as they covered the spread against the Heat despite coming in as heavy 10.5-point underdogs.
- In fact, they’ve done it three straight already, having covered the spread as well versus the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
- Even more impressive is the Raptors have covered the spread 10 times in their 13 home games this season.
With the Raptors returning home after a pit stop in Florida last Thursday, there could be value towards backing them to cover the spread as they take on a Chicago Bulls squad that have been hit or miss on the road this season, winning three of their last six.
For Toronto to cover the spread versus the Bulls, they’ll need leading scorer RJ Barrett to regain his scoring touch after being limited to 13 points on five-for-18 shooting last time.
Spitfire guard Gradey Dick also needs to continue his stellar play on the offensive end of the floor, especially with Barnes still out of commission.
- Fortunately for the Raptors, the 21-year old Dick has answered the call in the past three games, averaging 18.7 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Should the Raptors get the usual contributions from Dick and Barrett on the offensive end, backing them to cover the spread versus the Bulls at these current odds is something worth considering, especially with their track record this season.
Why will the
Chicago Bulls
cover the spread?
Versatile center Nikola Vucevic was on the sidelines on Friday due to an illness but it didn’t stop the Chicago Bulls from dominating the Charlotte Hornets in front of a hostile crowd 109-95 to snap a two-game losing skid.
- Six Bulls players hit the double-digit mark versus the Hornets with fourth-year guard Ayo Dosunmu leading the way with 19 points and five assists while Coby White added 18 points.
- Not to be outdone was Australian guard Josh Giddey who uncorked a near triple-double of 17 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while high-flying guard Zach LaVine added 13 markers for Chicago who also got 11 points and 10 rebounds from Jalen Smith and 10 points and seven boards from Lonzo Ball.
The 34-year old Vucevic is listed as questionable but he is expected to play versus the Toronto Raptors and his presence would help the Bulls as they seek back-to-back road wins for the first time since November.
- Now in his 15th season in the league, Vucevic remains a force inside, averaging 21 points and 9.8 rebounds on 58.7% shooting from the field and 47.4% from the three-point country.
With Vucevic expected to return and the Raptors dealing with injury woes to franchise superstar Scottie Barnes and key players Torrey Craig and Immanuel Quickley, backing the Bulls to score another blowout win might be a good play here.
However, LaVine needs to shoot better from the field than what he did last game . Against the Hornets, the 29-year old LaVine was only limited to 13 points on 36.4% shooting from the field and 25.0% shooting from rainbow territory.
Good thing for the Bulls is LaVine has shown some urgency this season after a terrible showing as evident from his performances versus the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers where he scored two consecutive 30-point games after being held to just 11 markers in the game prior to those.
Final
Toronto Raptors
vs
Chicago Bulls
NBA Prediction: Under 239.5 (-110)
Picking an outright winner between the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls proved to be trickier than I originally thought. Without looking at the odds, I would’ve picked the Bulls to cover the spread. However I am having second thoughts considering the Raptors ability to cover the spread at home.
On the other hand, going with the Raptors to cover the spread could be attractive, considering their level of play at home this season but that was when Scottie Barnes was still healthy and putting up big numbers.
That being said, I am going out of the limb here and picking the under in this matchup. Although two of their past three matchups were high scoring, it is worth noting that the last seven before that hit the under.
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