The Raptors host the Bulls, who are 21-53 on the season. The Bulls are doing their best tank job and have lost six of seven. Can the Raptors get the victory here or will they let another winnable game slip away?
The Toronto Raptors are fresh off a shocking loss in which the lowly Charlotte Hornets hit a three-pointer from midcourt to beat the buzzer. That now makes it two straight losses. Combined with the Milwaukee Bucks two straight wins and the Raptors are now four games back of the top spot in the Eastern Conference with just eight games to play.
Chicago Bulls @ Toronto Raptors
Date: Tuesday February 26th, 2019 – 7:30 PM ET
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
NBA Odds And Betting Analysis
The Bulls will enter Tuesday night’s contest with a 12-25 record on the road so far this season. The Bulls have been a road dog of 12.5 or more just seven times this season and they’ve failed to cover in six of those contests. They’re also 1-6-1 against the spread in its last eight games played on two days of rest and 1-6-1 in their last eight road games versus teams with home winning percentages greater than .600.
The Raptors are 29-9 on their home floor this season. They are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games where favored by 12.5 or more. However, the Raptors are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against Central division opponents.
Chicago Bulls
Despite their overall struggles, the Bulls have done a good job keeping games close on the road with a 9-4 ATS record in their last 13 road games. However, Chicago has dropped each of its first two games against Toronto this season, including a 95-89 defeat in their last meeting at Scotiabank Arena.
Lauri Markkanen has led the way for the Bulls with an average of 22.3 points per game over the last week. However, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn are both dealing with nagging injuries that could keep them out of this contest. That takes a big bite out of their back court. Otto Porter Jr. also missed the team’s last game and is questionable, while Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison were shut down for the season.
The Bulls are very short-handed and are not likely to win. It’s just a matter of if they can pull off a cover.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have lost two in a row for the sixth time this season. They’ve lost a third in a row just one time.
They have their own injury concerns heading in to the final stretch of the season as Kyle Lowry is dealing with a lingering ankle injury that he admitted will keep him from being 100-percent the rest of the season. The Raptors are still being careful with Kawhi Leonard, who they could opt to rest on Tuesday night due to load management issues. The good news is that Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet have really stepped up of late. Siakim has averaged 25.0 points per game over the last week of action while VanVleet has averaged 14.0 points and 6.5 assists over that same span.
There’s no good reason for the Raptors to lose this game. After losing focus against Charlotte, expect a much better effort in this spot.
Bulls vs. Raptors Prediction
Toronto 110, Chicago 96
