Bulls vs Raptors Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NBA Play-In Game (Home-Court Advantage Proves Crucial in Toronto)

Bulls vs. Raptors Play-In Game Info

• Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Scotiabank Arena -- Toronto, ON
• Coverage: TBD

The 2022-23 NBA Play-In Tournament continues on Wednesday with an Eastern Conference battle between the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors. The Bulls are in the playoffs for the second straight year, while the Raptors are back for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. This one should be exciting.

Bulls vs. Raptors Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CHI: (+176) | TOR: (-210)
• Spread: CHI: +5 (-108) | TOR: -5 (-112)
• Total: 217.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Raptors enter this battle as moderate home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 217.5 points, with both sides available at -110 odds.

Bulls vs. Raptors Betting Trends

• Chicago is 8-5 against the spread (ATS) in its last 13 games.
• The total has hit the over in seven of Chicago's last nine games.
• Toronto is 3-7 straight up in its last 10 games against Chicago.
• The total has hit the under in five of Toronto's last eight games.

Bulls vs. Raptors Prediction & Pick

This series marks the first time the Bulls and Raptors have ever faced one another in the postseason. That's not the only notable storyline here, though, as Chicago forward DeMar DeRozan spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career playing for Toronto. He returns in an intense win-or-go-home showdown.

Neither one of these teams were more than two games above the .500 mark at any point during the regular season, but opted not to be sellers at the trade deadline. That move is only going to work out for one and I find myself leaning toward the squad that is playing in front of a supportive home crowd.

Toronto owns a 27-14 home record as well as an average scoring margin of +4.4 at Scotiabank Arena (No. 12 in NBA). The Raptors should be able to control this game with their clean style of play as they average only 11.7 turnovers on offense (No. 1 in NBA) and force 16.7 on defense (No. 2 in NBA).

Final Score Prediction: Bulls: 105 | Raptors: 113

Bulls vs. Raptors Best Bet

It's worth noting the Raptors hosted the Bulls twice during the regular season and earned a victory in both of those contests. Toronto defeated Chicago by a final score of 113-104 in November and 104-98 in February. Expect a similar performance from a Toronto core that has championship experience.

The Bulls have come up short on the road this season, posting a subpar 18-20-2 record against the spread (ATS). Meanwhile, Toronto is a reliable 24-15-1 ATS at home and has Pascal Siakam on their side. That is notable given Siakam torched Chicago for 20 points & 8 rebounds in the last matchup.

Bet: Toronto Raptors -5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.