Bulls vs. Raptors prediction, odds, line, spread, time: 2024 NBA picks, Jan. 18 best bets by proven model
raptors #raptors
The Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors square off in front of a national television audience in an NBA showdown on Thursday. Scotiabank Arena hosts the matchup in Toronto. The Bulls are 19-23 overall and 6-13 on the road this season, with the Raptors entering at 16-25 overall and 10-10 at home.
Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET in Toronto. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists the Bulls as 2.5-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 227.5 in the latest Bulls vs. Raptors odds. Before you make any Raptors vs. Bulls picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bulls vs. Raptors and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Raptors vs. Bulls:
Why the Bulls can cover
Chicago is 4-2 in its last six games, and the Bulls get a friendlier matchup after the trade of Pascal Siakam from the Raptors to the Indiana Pacers. The Bulls lead the NBA in points allowed in the paint (43.8 per game) on defense, illustrating strong rim protection principles. The Bulls are also in the top 10 of the NBA in free throw prevention (22.2 attempts per game), turnover creation (14.5 per game), and steals (7.8 per game), with opponents shooting only 46.6% from the field against Chicago.
Toronto is also a poor free throw shooting team, making only 74% of attempts, and the Bulls have plenty of firepower on offense. Coby White is enjoying the best season of his career, including 29 straight games with at least 14 points, and DeMar DeRozan has scored 20 or more points in 27 different contests this season. The Bulls also avoid mistakes, committing the second-fewest turnovers (12.4 per game) in the NBA to this point in the season. See which team to pick here.
Why the Raptors can cover
Toronto is led by Scottie Barnes, and the youthful forward is having a breakout season. He is averaging 20.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, and Barnes is averaging 21.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in home games. Toronto also leads the league in fast break points (17.8 per game) with a top-three mark in assists (29.5 per game). The Raptors round out their profile by shooting 48.2% from the field and averaging 54.0 points in the paint, with Toronto also committing only 13.2 turnovers per contest.
On defense, Toronto is elite at preventing free throw attempts, yielding fewer than 20 per game. The Raptors also can benefit from the issues of the Bulls. Chicago is just 6-13 on the road this season, with opponents out-scoring the Bulls by 7.1 points per 100 possessions in those games. The Bulls are also scoring only 1.12 points per possession on offense for the full season, with bottom-five marks in the NBA in 2-point shooting, free throw creation, and assists per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Raptors vs. Bulls picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 223 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits over 50% of the time. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Bulls vs. Raptors, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 42-23 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.