Raptors same-game parlay predictions vs. Bulls Oct. 27: Fade Scottie Barnes in Chicago
The Toronto Raptors are on the road for the first time this season, taking on the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
The pregame narrative: Toronto hit the over more often than not last season, but an alt under has my attention in this matchup. I've also included props for Scottie Barnes and Nikola Vucevic — one of whom I'm fading, and one of whom I'm tailing.
NBA oddsas of 9:20 a.m. on 10/27/2023.
Same-game parlay Raptors predictions
Parlay: Under 223.5 points + Barnes under 17.5 points + Vucevic over 28.5 pts/reb/ast (+255)
Under 223.5 points (-205): The Raptors played a bit of an offensive snooze fest in their season opener, earning a 97-94 win over Minnesota. They're the only team to earn a win so far while scoring fewer than 100 points.
Last year, Toronto was primarily an over team, going 47-36 in the over/under market and hitting the over in 24 of 41 road games (58.5%). But the under went 3-1 in its matchups against Chicago, and all four of those games finished comfortably below this total.
The Raptors and Bulls' four matchups last season averaged 209.3 points.
Other parlay picks
Barnes under 17.5 points (-225): This pick pairs well with the alt under, as Barnes is typically not called upon to shoulder this much of a scoring load.
The third-year lottery pick averaged 15.3 points in both his rookie and sophomore seasons. In 156 career games (playoffs included), Barnes has finished under this number 100 times (64.1%).
That includes scoring fewer than 18 points in two of three matchups against the Bulls last season. In the game that he hit the over, Barnes scored 19 on an uncharacteristically high 19 shots (tied for his third-highest shot total of the season).
Vucevic over 28.5 P+R+A (-150): Vucevic has averaged a double-double in every season since his rookie year, which was two teams and more than a decade ago. He's a stat stuffer, and that generally makes his PRA market a desirable addition to a parlay.
Since joining Chicago in the middle of the 2020-21 season, the centre has averaged 32.6 PRA per game. As a Bull, Vucevic has gone over 28.5 PRA in eight of nine games.
His propensity to notch double-digit rebounds in most games while averaging betting than 15.0 points gives us a strong baseline for a PRA total like this.
