Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors: Betting odds and prediction
A big test lies ahead for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls, who are squaring up to face a rapidly-improving Toronto Raptors team led by head coach Nick Nurse on Jan. 26. Donovan and the Bulls do host the Raptors at home at the United Center, as they look to build on what could be their first two-game winning streak in a couple of weeks.
The Bulls at least got two of their key players back earlier this week in what resulted in a too close for comfort win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. Getting the likes of star shooting guard Zach LaVine and wing Javonte Green back against the Thunder was big.
That aforementioned win over the Thunder for the Bulls came back on Jan. 24. They got that win by the narrow final score of 111-110. The Bulls are now sporting a record of 29-17 heading into this meeting with the Raptors.
Meanwhile, the Raptors come into this matchup against the Bulls with a record of 23-22 following their Jan. 25 road win over the Charlotte Hornets in the front end of back-to-back games. The Raptors had mixed results of late, as they are 2-1 in their last three games and 2-3 in their last five.
Here’s a look at the betting odds and game prediction as the Bulls take on the Raptors at home at the United Center in Chicago, with tip-off time set for 7 p.m. CT on Jan. 26.
Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors betting odds
According to WynnBet, the Bulls are a three-point favorite over the Raptors a few hours ahead of tip-off. And the over/under is set at 219 points.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Bulls a 54.3 percent chance to beat the Raptors.
Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors prediction
There are multiple injuries worth noting ahead of tip-off for this meeting between the Bulls and Raptors. According to the latest NBA injury report on Jan. 26, the Raptors have both star point guard Fred VanFleet and rookie forward Scottie Barnes listed as “questionable” for this game.
And the Bulls are set to get star forward DeMar DeRozan back after a night of rest in the back end of back-to-back games for them in the win over the Thunder on Jan. 24. That was clutch for the Bulls to get DeRozan a night of rest amid this wave of injuries and still come out with the win.
As a result, this should be the healthiest the Bulls’ big three will be on the court together in one game in a few weeks. Center Nikola Vucevic is dealing with some knee injury issues, but he’s still listed as probable for this game.
DeRozan and LaVine are both off the injury report for this game completely.
The trio of DeRozan, LaVine, and Vucevic, should be enough for the Bulls to hold off the Raptors. Although, that will depend on how much Nurse and the Raptors limit the likes of VanFleet and Barnes in this game.
3 trades Bulls can make with the Raptors to get Pascal Siakam. dark. Next
No matter what, this feels like DeRozan and the Bulls are set for a close game with forward Pascal Siakam and the Raptors. It feels like DeRozan and LaVine are bound for big nights. That could leave a lot of the fate of this game on the shoulders of Vucevic.