We're just over a week removed from the Chicago Bulls winning 111-105 as 4-point home favorites over the Toronto Raptors. The venue changes from the Windy City to The Six for tonight's rematch.
Toronto is playing well, having won three in a row, but their Top 5 players have been logging heavy minutes. Will fatigue catch up to them against one of the East's top teams?
Find out in our free NBA betting picks and predictions for Bulls vs. Raptors on February 3.
Bulls vs Raptors odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Raptors opened this Eastern Conference matchup as 3.5-point favorites and that's where the number sits as of Thursday afternoon. That's quite the swing from the 4-point favorite Chicago was just over a week ago. But it's understandable with Zach LaVine questionable plus the other injuries to the Bulls backcourt.
The total has seen a little more action so far. It hit the board at 224 and has been bet down to 222.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Bulls vs Raptors predictions
- Prediction: Bulls +3.5 (-110)
- Prediction: Under 222.5 (-110)
- Best bet: Gary Trent Jr. Over 3.5 Made Threes (-125)
- Best bet: Ayo Dosunmu Over 4.5 Assists (-105)
Predictions made on 2/3/2022 at 1:45 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Bulls vs Raptors game info
• Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
• Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, NBCSCH
Bulls vs Raptors betting preview
Injuries
Bulls: Zach LaVine SG (Questionable), Lonzo Ball PG (Out), Alex Caruso SG (Out).
Raptors: Khem Birch C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 8-2-1 in the Bulls' last 11 games as a road underdog and 9-4 in the Raptors' last 13 overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Bulls vs. Raptors.
Bulls vs Raptors picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
What the Raptors are doing at the moment is pretty incredible. Toronto has won three games in a row, including two against arguably the best team in the East in the Miami Heat while basically playing just five dudes.
Potential all-stars Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, rookie Scottie Barnes, and the suddenly white-hot Gary Trent. Jr. are all regularly logging 35-plus minutes per game. In fact, VanVleet, Siakam, and Anunoby rank one, two, and three in the NBA when it comes to minutes per game.
It makes what they are doing incredibly impressive but likely unsustainable. Overall, the Raptors have just upped their play in general, ranking ninth in net ranking since the start of 2022.
That said, the Bulls will provide another tough test, even if they are dealing with some key injuries. Chicago has won four of its last five and is back in first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls are led by their offense and even without Lonzo Ball (and Zach LaVine at times) they are still effective thanks to the likes of DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic and they rank fourth in the NBA in offensive rating.
They face a Raptors defense that has been playing better lately, but Toronto's tendency to get too aggressive with its double teams can leave opposing players open for threes. As a result, the Raptors rank 23rd in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. That is not a recipe for success against a Bulls team that leads the NBA in shooting from downtown.
This should be a close game, but the Bulls can rely on their shooting while also leaning on Vucevic on the inside to wear out an undersized — and presumably tired — Raptors team. We’ll take the points with the No. 1 team in the East.
Prediction: Bulls +3.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Straight up, this total is too high for this particular matchup. For starters, these teams combined for just 216 points in the meeting just about a week ago and I don’t expect much to change this time around.
The Bulls have a great offense and have put up some big numbers over their last three games, but that came against the Magic, Trail Blazers, and Spurs. In the four games prior to that, (including the game against the Raptors) they averaged just 101.8 points. Now, they’ll go against a Raptors team that ranks ninth in defensive rating and allows just 106 points per game since Jan. 1.
The Bulls defense, on the other hand, has some issues, ranking 25th in defensive rating. Luckily, even when the Raptors are hot they aren’t exactly world-beaters on offense. Toronto ranks 26th in effective field goal percentage and has averaged 105.3 points per game in regulation over their last four contests.
Add in that the Bulls and Raps rank 15th and 26th respectively when it comes to pace and this one should fall Under the number again.
Prediction: Under 222.5 (-110)
Best bets
I really do like both the side and total for this game, but there are two props I like even more, starting with the unconscious from beyond the arc Gary Trent Jr.
Trent has put up 31 or more points in five straight games while shooting a ridiculous 51.7% from 3-point range. And it’s not like he’s taking only a couple of shots a game. The guy is jacking up 12 attempts from deep per game over that span. Insanity.
That includes going 6 of 10 from beyond the arc in that previous meeting against the Bulls and he’ll have a great chance to eclipse his made threes total once again. The Bulls allow the most points in the NBA to opposing guards while ranking 27th in 3-point percentage allowed to opposing guards.
But let’s not stop there. There’s a Bulls player prop to love as well. Books have yet to adjust to the fact that Ayo Dosunmu has been dishing out dimes since sliding into Chicago's starting rotation.
Dosunmu has started the last 10 games for the Bulls where he is averaging 6.5 assists per game, yet his total for this one is 4.5. While he only had four in the last meeting against the Raps, he’s gone over 4.5 seven times in this 10-game stretch and has put up at least nine in each of his last two games.
Pick: Gary Trent Jr. Over 3.5 made threes (-125)
Pick: Ayo Dosunmu Over 4.5 assists (-105)
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