by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Where to watch: TSN, NBCSCH
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Raptors -5
FanDuel: Raptors -5
BetMGM: Raptors -4.5
Caesars: Raptors -5
Season record
Bulls: 28-33
Raptors: 30-32
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Bulls - Raptors preview, prediction and analysis
It’s our favorite time-honored tradition where DeMar DeRozan returns to Toronto and of course it would have to involve some sort of playoff implications to make this interesting. We’ll see what happens when the Chicago Bulls take on the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
This is a battle between the 11th and 9th place teams in the Eastern Conference who are separated by 1.5 games in the standings. In short, this is a big game for whomever wants to be in the play-in round.
Toronto is coming off a 118-93 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game in which they didn’t have a lot to take advantage off a slight Cleveland slump. Pascal Siakam had 25 points and he was the only player to score more than 15 points. Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, had 35 points.
“What makes Donovan difficult to guard is he uses combination moves offensively,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “A lot of times, he moves in three different directions in one move over and over. Not a lot of guys can do that.”
The Raptors are just 2-4 against the spread in their last six with the margin hitting double digits in three of them, all of them losses. When they lose against the spread lately, they really lose. There’s really no fix because Toronto is too inconsistent to play like the Eastern Conference juggernauts they’re accustomed to being.
You would think the Bulls would be in that conversation, but maybe they’re onto something with two straight wins out of the All-Star break after winning 102-82 over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Now, I’m not going to put too much stock into this one because the Wizards didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis or Monte Morris.
But for the Bulls to actually take care of business against a team with Bradley Beal and no one else, at least that’s a start. DeRozan finished with 29 points on 11 of 15 shooting, and Zach LaVine had 27 points for a Chicago team that is in dire need of actual consistency. One way to do that is taking down the inconsistent teams.
“We can't afford to have those slipups,” LaVine said of the Bulls' two straight victories. “Obviously, we know teams are going to make their runs. You get a team down, got to keep them down and close the game out. We can't afford to have those back-and-forths where you give up a big lead."
As mentioned, this is a big game for the playoff implications. We analyze these with a microscope this time of year, ya know. The Raptors, at 30-32, are 1.5 games ahead of the Bulls for the ninth seed. A win by the Bulls could leapfrog them into the top 10 should the Wizards lose to the Hawks. A lot of big basketball to be played, and this is why the play-in is actually fun.
Prediction
I am of the mindset that the Raptors are the better team here, and they are more healthy. The Bulls know they can’t afford slipups, but I need one more win from the Bulls before I can believe in them. Raptors 118, Bulls 110
Betting trends
Bulls are 10-5 against Atlantic teams this season.
Bulls are 18-15 ATS as an underdog this season.
Bulls are 12-4 ATS off a home win this season.
Raptors are 1-6 ATS off two straight under this season.
Raptors are 17-15 ATS at home this season.
Projected starting lineup
Bulls:
PG: Patrick Beverley
SG: Alex Caruso
SF: Zach LaVine
PF: DeMar DeRozan
C: Nikola Vucevic
Raptors:
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: O.G. Anunoby
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Pascal Siakam
Injury report
Bulls: Goran Dragic (knee, out)
Raptors: None
Bulls: Goran Dragic (knee, out)
Raptors: None
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Chicago Bulls - Toronto Raptors prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
