The Raptors are looking to bounce back after the latest home loss to the Wizards, while the Bulls are hoping to end the two-game losing streak in H2H duels in Toronto. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Bulls at Raptors
Spread: Toronto Raptors -11 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 201 (-110)
The Bulls are searching for the consecutive road win
The Chicago Bulls are coming to Canada after a painful overtime loss to New Orleans at home, but even though they are 2-6 at the moment, Fred Hoiberg’s team is playing well, and three of those six defeats were by ten points or fewer. Chicago latest away match resulted in a win at Orlando, and the Bulls are hoping to upset the Raptors in Toronto.
A disastrous field goal percentage (35.4%) and just 26.2% from the perimeter prevented the Bulls from securing a victory against the Pelicans, even though they were good in defense and recorded 58 rebounds in opposite to New Orleans’ 52. Justin Holiday led Chicago with 18 points, nine boards, and team-high three steals, while Denzel Valentine added 16 points and six rebounds. The Finnish international Lauri Markkanen contributed with 14 points, seven boards, and four assists, but he had a bad shooting night (5-16 FG, 2-11 3PT). One of the early favorites for the Rookie of the Season award found it difficult playing against Anthony Davis, and it’s not going to be much easier in a matchup with Serge Ibaka, and excellent defensive player. Markkanen is certainly a man to watch in this tilt as he is the Bulls top scorer so far, and I think he will play a significant role in the Tuesday’s encounter. Robin Lopez scored 14 points with nine rebounds, and his duel with Jonas Valanciunas is another one that should be closely monitored. Jerian Grant displayed an excellent performance of 13 points, game-high nine dishes, and eight boards, but he will face a tough test against Kyle Lowry, so I don’t expect a similar game from the former Thunder. Justin Holiday is taking 15.6 shots per match, and I am anticipating a shootout between him and DeMar DeRozan, but Justin must improve his 7-20 from the field he had against the Pelicans.
Fred Hoiberg will be without the guard David Nwaba for the next few weeks as the former Laker sustained an ankle injury in the previous game so Paul Zipser will return to the starting lineup for this clash. Zach LaVine and Cameron Payne are long-term absentees, Nikola Mirotic should be back in 2-4 weeks, while the good news is that Bobby Portis will have a season debut in Toronto after missing due to suspension. The Bulls are scoring 92.00 points per contest on average, and they are the last in the league in that segment, while they are allowing 98.25 points in return, which put them in a highly respectable fourth place in the NBA. Chicago is leading the league when it comes to rebounds (49.38), while their defense is limiting the opponents to just 43.13% from the field (5th in the NBA).
Place: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 7th, 2017, 7:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: TSN, WGN-TV, TSN
The Raptors are eager to return to the winning ways
The Toronto Raptors suffered the first home loss against the Washington Wizards and now are looking to beat the Bulls for the third straight time at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors are currently 5-4 and are favorites to win this tilt, but they were favorites when the Wizards defeated them on Sunday, so they have to approach this duel with caution or else another upset could occur.
Miserable shooting from beyond the arc (5-24) played a huge part in 96:107 loss to the Wizards, while the Raptors were also inaccurate enough from the free-throw line (17-27), so I believe they will improve against the Bulls because another miserable shooting night could cost them a victory. Toronto had 36 rebounds in opposite to Washington’s 46, and even five blocks more (8-3) didn’t help the hosts to avoid defeat. However, Kyle Lowry’s ejection in the second quarter proved to be too much for the Raptors, and I am sure the point guard will give his best to respond with an All-Star performance on Tuesday. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 26 points (8-21 FG, 0-5 3P, 10-12 FT), four rebounds, and three assists, while Norman Powell followed him with 19 points, two steals, and a pair of blocks. Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet chipped in with 11 and ten points, respectively, but Serge Ibaka had a quiet night in the offense as he hit just two out of eight field goal attempts. The Spanish international did contribute with ten boards and a couple of thefts, but I think he will play a more prominent role against the Bulls. Alongside DeRozan and Lowry, Ibaka is undoubtedly the player to watch, and his matchup with Lauri Markkanen is probably the most intriguing in this encounter.
Dwane Casey has all of the players at his disposal and is delighted to have a healthy squad as there are no injuries. The Raptors are scoring 107.78 points per contest on average (9th in the NBA), while they are allowing 102.89 points in return (10th in the NBA). They are among the top ten (8th) teams when it comes to field goal percentage (46.46%), while they are allowing mere 73.97% from the free throw line, which is the third-best record in the league at the moment.
Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors Trends & Prediction
The Bulls are 5-3 against the spread (3-1 away), while they are 2-6 on over/under (2-2 away), and considering Chicago’s offense that will likely score around 90 points, opting for OVER here should be a smart pick. All of the previous four H2H meetings in Toronto went over 200 points, and I think that could be the case again on Tuesday.
The Raptors are 6-3 against the spread (2-1 home), while they are 4-5 on over/under (2-1 home), and while the spread is -11 on this one and not very easy to predict. It is normal to expect Toronto to score 100+ here as they scored at least 104 in the last four against Chicago at home. Kyle Lowry’s points were missed in a clash with Washington, and his contribution in the offense should be the key for this game to go OVER.
My Pick: Pass
Total: Over 201 (-110)
