Just a couple of weeks ago, the Toronto Raptors saw their odds to make the NBA playoffs descend into the gutter. They looked shallow, overworked, injury-prone, clunky, the whole nine. Their season, it seemed, was over.
But not anymore.
Entering their Tuesday night matchup with the Chicago Bulls, the Raptors have new life. They are firmly entrenched in the Eastern Conference play-in race, and the addition of Jakob Poeltl at the deadline, while initially panned, has helped streamline the way they operate on offense and defense. Could this team that was just on the brink of implosion now somehow, someway be a sleeping giant? Looking through the lens of Raptors vs. Bulls, we'll try to figure this out.
First, however, let's have a look at the latest NBA online betting odds for Bulls vs. Raptors:
Like usual, we recommend that you double-check these online NBA betting odds before deciding on your wager. Our Raptors vs. Bulls betting odds are accurate as of games played on Monday, February 27. With Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors slated to tip-off on Tuesday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m. EST, linemakers will have plenty of time to adjust these odds based on the initial action.
Anyone who has signed up with a reliable sportsbook, of course, won't have to worry about accessing the most accurate basketball betting lines. Fortunately, everyone has the ability to do just this. And we're here to help. All the information we provide in our reviews of the top online sportsbooks should help you easily spot the best NBA betting sites in 2023.
Let us now dive into some Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls predictions!
The Toronto Raptors Should be Heavier Favorites to Beat the Chicago Bulls
How the Raptors aren't a heavier favorite against the Bulls is beyond us. Chicago has tumbled to 11th place in the Eastern Conference, with an aggressively middling offense, while Toronto has played like a top-10 defense since the trade deadline.
Perhaps oddsmakers are still concerned with the state of the Raptors offense. That's fair. They need more functional volume and accuracy from beyond the arc. But Fred VanVleet, in particular, has caught fire from deep over the past couple of weeks. It turns out he's better suited to run an offense in which there's a big man like Poeltl who can actually roll to the basket.
To Chicago's credit, they are about as healthy as they've been all year. Javonte Green remains on the sidelines, and Lonzo Ball is officially done for the season. But DeMar DeRozan has returned from injury and continues to be one of the NBA's most efficient players on the road, posting a true shooting percentage north of 60 in enemy territory. The Bulls have also shocked a lot of people with their defensive returns, placing inside the top 10 of points allowed per possession on the season.
That isn't enough for us to get behind Chicago. DeRozan might be back and coming off a trademark 11-of-15 performance, but he's still playing through injury. And the defense, while ranking inside the top 10, benefits mostly from keeping opponents out of transition. They tend to struggle against teams that actually prioritize fast breaks—like the Raptors themselves.
Couple all this with the Raptors playing at home, along with standout efficiency from VanVleet and Pascal Siakam over the past two weeks, and this feels like a game Toronto should win running away.
OSB Prediction: Toronto Raptors (-182)
Should You Hedge Your Raptors Bet with a Wager on the Bulls Point Spread?
Below you can see the latest NBA point spread betting odds for the Bulls vs. Raptors game on Tuesday night:
- Chicago Bulls, +4 (-116)
- Toronto Raptors, -4 (-116)
A four-point spread can seem like a lot for a team such as the Raptors that has struggled to cover for much of this season. But the Raptors are outscoring opponents by about 3.6 points per game at home overall, and that number climbs to 9.1 points during victories.
This isn't all that large of a spread when weighed against those returns. Plus, while Chicago has been outscored by just 2.5 points per game on the road overall, they have looked awful in losses. Opponents are outscoring them by nine points per game in road losses. That renders their spread in this one a hit-or-miss proposition. We're inclined to go with the "miss" portion and invest in Toronto.
OSB Prediction: Toronto Raptors, -4 (-116)
Brace Yourself for an Offensive Slog When Chicago Visits Toronto
Here are the latest NBA over/under betting odds for Raptors vs. Bulls:
- Over 223.5 (-105)
- Under 223.5 (-105)
Linemakers could get away with a lower over/under in this matchup. Both the Raptors and Bulls are posting offensive ratings that rank outside the top 15, and their play styles support low-scoring affairs.
Chicago doesn't take or make enough threes. The same goes for Toronto. The Raptors do look to get out in transition, but the Bulls do a good job limiting those opportunities relative to a team's average. Even if Toronto wins the transition battle, they shouldn't get as many freebies as possible.
Neither team is particularly fast overall. Both rank in the bottom 10 of average offensive possession time, so they're not going to generate a ton of extra scoring opportunities by virtue of pushing the pace in the half-court.
To be honest, there's a chance neither Chicago nor Toronto cracks 105 points on Tuesday—an occurrence with which both are intimately familiar this year.
OSB Prediction: Under 223.5 (-105)
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