NBA play-in preview and tips: Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
- George Dempsey
- 12 April 2023
Toronto Raptors will host the Chicago Bulls on night two of the NBA play-in tournament, with the winner moving on to face Miami Heat for a spot in the playoffs.
Night one of the play-in tournament saw the Hawks upset Miami Heat to advance to the playoffs where they'll face a tough task against the Boston Celtics.
Despite the defeat, Miami will get a second chance to join the dance if they can overcome the winner of this matchup between the Raptors and the Bulls.
The sides met three times in the regular season with the Raptors coming out on top 2-1 in the mini-series. All three of those games dropped under the total, which on average was around 219.5.
The closest the sides game to surpassing the total was 217 in their first meeting, but the score continued to go downhill from there.
Familiarity can lead to lower-scoring games where you have teams capable of good defence involved. The final meeting, on February 28th, finished 104-98 to Toronto on their home court.
Looking at the averages from these sides' last 10 meetings show that defence is usually on top. The under is 7-3 with an average score of 218.
One of the standout things from their season mini-series is that the Bulls turned the ball over 19 times per game on average. Toronto are an elite team at turning the ball over, ranking second in the league.
Chicago's bull handlers will need to do a better job of looking after the ball against O.G. Anunoby who leads the league in steals (128) and partner in crime Fred VanVleet who ranks third (123).
You simply cannot afford to throw away 20% of your possessions in any game, but especially a playoff game, and it seems like the Raptors have Chicago's number on defence.
If the Raptors are able to consistently shut the balls down and force turnovers, they'll be able to dictate the pace of the game and play it their way.
Standout trends
Raptors are 15-5-1ATS in their last 21 home games
Raptors are 7-1-1ATS in their last nine against a team with a losing road record
Bulls are 5-12ATS in their last 17 games as an underdog
Bulls are 2-5ATS in their last seven against a home team winning 60% of their games
Suggested bets
Raptors -5
