The Toronto Raptors (40-31) travel to the Windy City Monday to play the Chicago Bulls (41-29) at the United Center with the tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Raptors vs. Bulls odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Toronto is 6-1 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in the last 14 days, which includes a 93-88 upset win at the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday as 7.5-point road underdogs.
In the last two weeks, Chicago is 2-4 SU and 1-5 ATS and currently rides a 3-game losing skid with the latest a 129-102 blowout loss Friday at the Phoenix Suns.
The Bulls are 2-1 SU and ATS against the Raptors this season but Toronto won the last meeting 127-120 in overtime Feb. 3.
Raptors at Bulls odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:13 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Raptors +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Bulls -170 (bet $170 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Raptors +3.5 (-107) | Bulls -3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 222.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
Raptors at Bulls key injuries
Raptors
- SF OG Anunoby (finger) out
- PG Fred VanVleet (knee) questionable
Bulls
- PG Lonzo Ball (knee) out
[tipico]
Raptors at Bulls odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Raptors 114, Bulls 110
Money line
SPRINKLE on the RAPTORS (+135) with the plan of hitting their spread harder since that’s a sharper wager.
Betting Toronto in the second of a back-to-back has been profitable this season. According to CleaningTheGlass.com (CTG), the Raptors have the second-best winning percentage on no rest (10-5 ATS) with a plus-2.7 adjusted net rating (ranked third) and a plus-3.7 ATS margin (ranked third).
Both teams rank in the middle of the pack in terms of net efficiency. But, Toronto has a slightly higher winning rate with an edge in adjusted net rating and a slightly better ATS margin than Chicago, per CTG.
Also, the Raptors are trending in a much better direction than the Bulls despite not having Anunoby since Feb. 25 and VanVleet missing several games post-All-Star break.
In the last two weeks, Toronto has a plus-6.2 adjusted net rating (ranked 10th) and plus-7.1 ATS margin (ranked sixth) while Chicago has a minus-8.5 adjusted net rating (ranked 25th) and a minus-7.7 ATS margin (ranked 29th), per CTG.
Finally, there’s a significant reverse line move heading in Toronto’s direction. The Bulls are getting a vast majority of the action (according to Pregame.com and VegasInsider.com). But the Raptors have gone from a 4.5-point underdog on the opener down to the current number.
Again, the preferred play is Toronto’s spread but I’ll also SPRINKLE on the RAPTORS (+135).
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Against the spread
Definitely BET the RAPTORS +3.5 (-107) heavier than or instead of their money line based on all the previous analysis and because this is a much better spot for Toronto.
For instance, the Raptors have covered in six straight road games and are 25-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record whereas the Bulls are 14-18 ATS versus winning teams.
The RAPTORS PLUS THE POINTS is my favorite wager in this game.
Over/Under
PASS because I have a much stronger grasp of the ML and ATS markets in Raptors-Bulls than the total and my numbers agree with Tipico‘s projection.
For what it’s worth, Toronto is 36-35 O/U (17-21 O/U on the road), Chicago is 34-34-2 O/U (18-16-1 O/U at home) and these teams are a combined 35-32 O/U when playing teams with a winning record.
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