Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 27/10/2023, 08:33  by Joseph King | Modified on 27/10/2023 at 09:29 in NBA Predictions

The 0-1 Chicago Bulls look to get their first win of the season on the board when they host the 1-0 Toronto Raptors on Friday. Both of these teams missed out on qualifying for the playoffs proper despite finishing ninth and 10th-place for a spot in the play-in. The Bulls ended the 2022/23 campaign with a record of 40-42 and are off to a rough start in the 2023/24 edition. They were blown out by the Thunder in a 124-104 loss on their home court on Wednesday and will now try to pull even before embarking on a three-game road trip. The Bulls just couldn’t get into a shooting rhythm and were held to only 41.5% from the field and 28.6% from three. DeMar DeRozan led the way for Chi-Town with 20 points while two-time All-Star Zach Lavine was the second highest-scorer at 16 points. 

The Raptors finished the previous season with a .500 record as they went 41-41 in the regular season. This saw them make the play-in game as the ninth seed but would lose out to the Bulls in the first play-in round game. Toronto did not travel well last season as the majority of their wins came at the Scotiabank Arena in Canada. On the road, they managed to win just 14 of 41 outings compared to 27 on home soil. They did manage to get out to a winning start this year as they defeated the Timberwolves by a score of 97-94. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but the Raptors were able to drain 40% of their three-point attempts while holding the Timberwolves to 25.8% from beyond the arc. New signing Dennis Schroder led the way for Toronto with 22 points and seven assists on his debut.