Chicago Bulls: Gambling advice for tonight’s game against Toronto

The Chicago Bulls will try to make up for last night’s loss when the Toronto Raptors come to town tonight. Here are some gambling tips for the game.

Last night, the Chicago Bulls lost in brutal fashion to the Miami Heat. They had multiple chances to win the game, but Heat rookie Tyler Herro was ultimately too much for them to handle.

The silver lining? Lauri Markkanen continued his stretch of aggressive offensive basketball and Kris Dunn continued to make magic on defense.

The Bulls don’t have much time to dwell on last night’s loss, though. Tonight, the defending champion Toronto Raptors will step onto the United Center floor looking to stomp a middling Chicago team. Can the Bulls keep up or will the Raptors run away with the game?

Bulls odds vs Raptors

• Favorite: Raptors (-6)
• Moneyline: +200 Bulls/-250 Raptors

All odds are courtesy of The Action Network and are current as of Monday at 1:15 pm CT.

I’m struggling to understand why the Raptors are only six-point favorites tonight. Yes, the game is in Chicago. Yes, the Raptors are on a three-game losing streak. Yes, the Raptors are playing the second night of a back-to-back. And yes, Fred VanVleet is questionable with a knee injury. But still, with all that being said, the Raptors are more than six points better than the Bulls. The spread should be somewhere closer to eight or nine points — not six.

The Raptors’ three-game losing streak featured losses to three really good teams: the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers. Before that, they ripped off an impressive seven-game winning streak. It’s not like they’re in some slump where they’ve been losing to bad teams. They’ve been losing to title contenders. So no, their three-game losing streak doesn’t mean you should bet on the Bulls, it only means the Raptors need tonight’s win even more than usual. I’m guessing they’ll come out with a crazy amount of energy.

It’s also important to remember what happened last time the Bulls and Raptors met in the United Center. Let’s take a quick, painful trip down memory lane.

The day was October 26, and it was a rainy one in Chicago. The Bulls were preparing for their 2019-20 home opener. The United Center was buzzing. The fans were confident this was going to be the season where things turned around for their squad.

That confidence didn’t last long. The Raptors were quick to remind everyone in attendance that they’re the defending champs for a reason, and the Bulls were quick to remind everyone that the fans need to temper their expectations.

Chicago’s leading scorer was Wendell Carter Jr. with a whopping 12 points. Zach LaVine was the only other Bull in double figures, posting 11 points of his own.

The biggest weakness for Chicago was — and still is — on the wing. I can’t stress this next part enough: OG Anunoby dismantled the Bulls in that first matchup, and there’s no reason why he won’t dismantle them again. Chicago is without a legitimate small forward, and Anunoby is bigger and stronger than anyone the Bulls can possibly throw at him.

My prediction? The Raptors easily cover the spread. My advice? Don’t even think about betting on the Bulls. If you feel tempted by the six-point spread at home, just remember what happened last time Chicago played Toronto in the United Center (they lost by 24).