Chicago Bulls Vs. Toronto Raptors: Predictions, Starting Lineups (1/18/24)
The new-look Toronto Raptors host Chicago on Thursday night in an Eastern Conference showdown! See our Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors betting picks and predictions for this game, including a breakdown of our analysis.
Chicago Bulls Vs. Toronto Raptors Prediction
No Siakam, no Anunoby, no problem. The Toronto Raptors torched a nearly full-health Miami Heat team on Wednesday night by 24 points behind a near-triple-double from Immanuel Quickley, 26 points from R.J. Barrett, 28 points from Gary Trent Jr., and a 20-8-5 line from Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors shot 51% from the floor and 53% from the three-point line while outrebounding the Heat by eight boards despite starting Jontay Porter at center. The Raptors’ frontcourt without Jakob Poeltl is whatever the opposite of “a sight for sore eyes” would be, but they found a way to make do.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls are merely weeks away from a fire sale, with players like Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan being possible candidates to move at the trade deadline. Chicago holds a 19-23 record this season, placing it ninth in the Eastern Conference.
Effectively, the Bulls are in “No Man’s Land.” Will they band together and beat the Raptors here, or will Toronto play inspired, selfless team basketball with a new roster and fresh faces?
Toronto’s lack of interior presence might not hurt it too bad, as the Bulls rank 28th in points in the paint this season. Even better, Chicago has ranked dead-last in offensive rebounding percentage in its past three games.
With the looming trade deadline, it shouldn’t be a shock that the Bulls aren’t exactly crashing the O-Glass as if their lives depended on it.
Guess what else? The Raptors are fresh off holding Miami, the seventh-best three-point shooting team in the NBA (37.9%), to just 6-for-28 from behind the arc. For what Toronto lacks in chemistry, it has in spirit and energy. This team might not be great, but they won’t roll over, especially to this Chicago squad.
The ball movement by the Raptors leading to Gary Trent Jr. for the three 😮💨pic.twitter.com/F5RKGwH0wS
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 18, 2024
Chicago Bulls Vs. Toronto Raptors Prediction: Raptors +2.5 (-110)
Contents
Best NBA Betting Promo Codes
Chicago Bulls Vs. Toronto Raptors Best Odds
The new-look Toronto Raptors are 2.5-point home dogs on Thursday night against the Bulls despite winning the night before against Miami by 24 points. Chicago has Moneyline odds of -148 to steal a road win against this hodgepodge Toronto team, while the Raptors are +124 to win another home game unexpectedly. Further, the point total holds steady at around 225 points, with the Under having a slight advantage (-115) when this was written.
Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup
PG: Alex Caruso
SG: Zach LaVine
SF: DeMar DeRozan
PF: Patrick Williams
C: Nikola Vucevic
Toronto Raptors Starting Lineup
PG: Immanuel Quickley
SG: Gary Trent Jr.
SF: R.J. Barrett
PF: Scottie Barnes
C: Jontay Porter
Chicago Bulls Vs. Toronto Raptors Injuries
While the ginormous Pascal Siakam trade was finalized yesterday, Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis Jr., and Jordan Nwora will all more than likely miss this game. They are listed as day-to-day, but it would be a bit shocking to see them all suit up roughly 24 hours after being traded. Additionally, Otto Porter Jr. (knee) will miss the game, while Jakob Poeltl is also expected to be sidelined despite being close to a return from an ankle injury.
The Chicago Bulls received some good news recently: Lonzo Ball is expected to begin running at some point in January. Obviously, Ball (knee) won’t be available, but it is a positive direction for the star point guard. Chicago will also be without Torrey Craig (heel), while Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder) and Patrick Williams (ankle) are questionable for this matchup.
