The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament is underway and the ninth-seeded Toronto Raptors will host the 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The winner will advance to take on the Miami Heat on Friday for a chance to earn their way into the 2023 NBA Playoffs, where they would meet the Bucks in the first round. It's a high-intensity winner-take-all setting but Toronto should be able to glean some confidence from having won and covered the spread in two of its three head-to-head matchups with Chicago during the regular season.
The Raptors also went 27-14 at home this season and they can expect a raucous crowd at Scotiabank Arena with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Toronto is favored by 6 points in the latest Raptors vs. Bulls odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 212.5 points. Before making any Bulls vs. Raptors picks, be sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection 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 four-plus seasons. The model enters the 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament a stunning 71-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $3,000. 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 playoff predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds and trends for Raptors vs. Bulls:
- Bulls vs. Raptors spread: Raptors -6
- Bulls vs. Raptors over/under: 212.5 points
- Bulls vs. Raptors money line: Bulls +205, Raptors -250
- CHI: The Bulls are 6-2-1 against the spread in their last nine road games
- TOR: The Raptors are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 home games
- Bulls vs. Raptors picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Raptors can cover
Forward OG Anunoby is one of two players in the NBA this season to register 120 or more steals and 50 or more blocks, joining Anthony Edwards. He has also recorded multiple steals in 36 games this season, which is tied for second in the league behind teammate Fred VanVleet. In 67 games, all starts, Anunoby is averaging 16.8 points, five rebounds, two assists and 1.9 steals. He is connecting on 51.9% of his shots from the floor, including a blistering 42.4% from 3-point range post-all-star break.
Also helping propel Toronto is forward Scottie Barnes. In 77 games, including 76 starts, he is averaging 15.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He ranks second in assists, third in steals, fourth in rebounds and blocks (0.79) and fifth in points among all second-year players. He had 18 20-point performances and 15 double-doubles in 2022-2023.
Why the Bulls can cover
With starting point guard and defensive anchor Lonzo Ball unable to play all season, the Bulls sat middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference throughout the year and appeared to be fading with a six-game losing streak heading into the all-star break. However, they managed to right the ship to win nine of their final 14 games of the season thanks in large part to their defensive efforts.
Chicago finished seventh in the NBA in points allowed per game (111.8) and fifth in defensive rating (112.2). Both teams rank in the bottom half of the NBA in pace, and Chicago will hope that its trio of veteran scorers can help it win what should be a half-court battle. Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined to average 66.9 points per game this season, and all three players shot 48.5% from the floor or better.
How to make Bulls vs. Raptors picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting 221 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in well over 50% of simulations. can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Bulls vs. Raptors? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bulls vs. Raptors spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $3,000 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
