Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The Chicago Bulls travel north of the border on Friday night to take on the Toronto Raptors in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Bulls are just 5-11 and have lost four of their last five games. The Raptors are 7-8 on the season and are in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. The opening tap is scheduled for 7:40 PM EST.
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Bulls Sinking
The Chicago Bulls have now sunk to just 5-11 on the season following a 116-102 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on Wednesday night. The Bulls again got off to a slow start, scoring just 14 points in the first quarter, and never fully got back in the game. They did manage to tie the game early in the third quarter but the Thunder answered back quickly and pulled away. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 25 points while Coby White chipped in with 23 points, including a season-high seven 3-point field goals. The Bulls had to play without All-Star Zach LaVine, out with a sore foot.
“It’s a struggle when you lose, but I see them fighting and trying,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “We just haven’t been consistent enough, and we haven’t been consistent in shooting the basketball. I felt our guys were really trying. We just have these stretches where we dig ourselves somewhat of a hole. We just have to keep fighting through and being more consistent.”
The Bulls are just 5-11 on the season and are possibly in the midst of a major transition as the team shops LaVine in the hopes of doing a full rebuild. The Bulls have really been struggling offensively this season. They are 29th in points per game, 27th in field goal percentage and 24th in three-point field goals. Chicago is 15th in percentage of points via the three-point shot. Defensively, Chicago is 10th in points allowed per game, 15th in opponent's field goal percentage, and 22nd against the three-point shot. They are 28th in the league in rebounding and an impressive second in fewest turnovers per game.
Key Injuries: SG Zach LaVine is day-to-day (foot)
Running Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have a new look this season with a new coach and some departed stars from the team's glory years. The results have been spotty thus far with a 7-8 record heading into this matchup with the Bulls. Toronto has won two of three games including a 132-131 win over the Raptors on Wednesday night. Pascal Siakam led the way with a double-double of 36 points and 10 rebounds. Scottie Barnes continued his stellar season as well with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and the go-ahead dunk with just 27 seconds left in the game. Dennis Schroder added 26 points for the Raptors.
“Pascal was amazing,” Raptors new head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He was so aggressive. He scored points in the paint and was versatile, driving to the rim.”
The Raptors are a different team this season with a new point guard and a new head coach. They are 20th in scoring in the NBA thus far but are fourth in fastbreak points. The Raptors are 17th in field goal percentage and 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage. Defensively, the Raptors are 15th in points allowed per game and 19th in both overall and 3-point field goal percentage. They are just 24th in turnovers this season after being near the top last year. The Raptors are also sixth in rebounding, a vast improvement from last season.
Key Injuries: F Precious Achiewa and Thaddeus Young are both questionable for Friday.
Best Bets for this Game
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LaVine's injury status impacts this game greatly. Even with him, the Bulls have lost three of four but, without him, their weak offense becomes an afterthought. The Bulls are near the bottom of the league in points per game, field goal percentage, and rebounding. They now square off against the Raptors who are sixth in the NBA in rebounds per game. The Raptors also get their fair share of easy baskets, ranking fourth in the league in fastbreak points. Should the Raptors get easy buckets, this one will be over quickly. Chicago is not built to make large comebacks given their mediocre three-point shooting and their reluctance to shoot the 3-ball that often. They were able to upend Indiana in their last matchup due to a rare hot streak from downtown. Don't count on that two games in a row.
Take Toronto -4.5
Prediction: Toronto -4.5
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While both teams are in the bottom ten in the NBA in points per game, a closer look reveals that each team has gone over the total in seven of the last ten games. Toronto gets by with timely fastbreaks and is fourth in the league in 3-point shooting. Chicago should get some decent looks against a Bulls team that is not among the most defensively gifted in the league. Look for Toronto to do the heavy lifting in points given the Bulls' difficulties with rebounding and turnovers. Both of those factors should lead to easy chances for the Bulls.
Take the over.
Prediction: Over 217
Mark has been a sports fanatic since childhood. He is also an avid follower of sports analytics and has used it in his own betting analysis for over two decades. Now we have Mark on our team here at Stat Salt. He holds degrees in marketing, broadcasting, and English and uses this vast array of assets to dissect and analyze game matchups. Mark will provide you with a wide variety of statistics to consider and a strong opinion in each matchup that he covers. Please follow him daily for an up-to-the-minute analysis of all the important games.
