Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors Head-To-Head & Betting Trends

The Bulls and Raptors have played head-to-head three times this season.

The first meeting took place back in early November. Toronto pulled away in the fourth quarter en route to a 113-104 win. Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet scored a team-high of 30 points to go along with 11 assists. OG Anunoby chipped in with 22 points and six boards. 

Just 24 hours later, these two teams were at it again. This time, though, Chicago bounced back with a 111-97 victory, thanks in large part to the third quarter in which it outscored Toronto by a 28-17 margin. Zach Lavine led the Bulls’ charge with 30 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Nikola Vucevic – one of only two Bulls players to suit up all 82 games this season – contributed with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists. 

In the rubber match that took place in late February, the teams battled to a near stalemate through the first 36 minutes of action, as the Bulls led 72-70 going into the final frame. But just like the first meeting, the Raptors pulled away in the fourth quarter en route to a 104-98 victory. Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 20 points and eight boards, while OG Anunoby tallied 17 points and eight rebounds.

The one common denominator in all three games is that each team took control of the game in either the third or fourth quarter. It will be interesting to see what trend unfolds if the game is tight in a win-or-go-home scenario.

The Picks 

Over/Under

The projected O/U for this contest opened at 217.5. That line has moved to 215. Here are a few reasons to go with the UNDER in this matchup.

The projected total has gone UNDER in Chicago’s last seven games when they have played against a team in the eastern conference. Additionally, the UNDER is a perfect 6-0 for the Bulls in their last six games against teams from the Atlantic Division.

The total has gone UNDER for Toronto in five of its last six games against the Bulls, and five times in the last seven instances in which Toronto played against a Central Division opponent. 

It is also worth noting that the teams have combined for 215 points just once in their three regular-season meetings. Given these trends, along with the fact that both teams finished in the top 10 in scoring defense, I’m predicting that points will come at a premium, which is why you should go with the UNDER here. 

The Spread

The Raptors are favored to win this game by 4.5 points. 

The Bulls have a 4-2 mark against the spread in their last six games overall. Chicago also boasts an impressive 7-3 record ATS in their last 10 matchups against Toronto.

Toronto is just 1-4 ATS in the last five games they played on a Wednesday. 

Prediction: Both Bulls’ losses against the Raptors were on the road, and I expect that trend to continue here. Especially since the No. 10 seed is 0-4 since this format begin back in 2020. Taking those factors into consideration, I am picking Toronto to win the game outright, but the Bulls will cover the (+4.5) spread. 

Player Prop Bet

My key player to watch from this contest is Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan. He currently has -115 odds of scoring more than or less than 22.5 points.

During his career, DeRozan has played against the Raptors 13 times. He is averaging 21.5 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. This is encouraging because his scoring average against Toronto is just one point less than the projected scoring total for this matchup.

Also, DeRozan has eclipsed the 22.5 total in each of his last four games against Toronto. And he is averaging 24.7 points this season. 

Based on these stats, I am predicting the OVER for DeRozan’s point total.

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