The Raptors host the Bulls on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN). Toronto will be looking to snap its four-game losing streak, while Miami hopes to bag its fourth win in six games.
The Sporting News has you covered with the NBA odds for this Eastern Conference clash, as well as some best bets and top props from the BetMGM online sportsbook.
This will mark the first time these teams have faced off since the 2023-24 season. These squads split their regular-season series 2-2 last year, and each team looks vastly different than when it started that campaign.
Scottie Barnes remains the face of Toronto’s future, but an ankle injury will most likely keep him sidelined for tonight’s game. As for the Bulls, Nikola Vucevic has been the leading man since the departure of DeMar DeRozan, and the big man is probable after a weekend illness.
This should be a solid game to tip off the week. Here are the odds for this Monday night tilt between the Raptors and Bulls, as well as our final score prediction, best bets and top props.
Raptors vs. Bulls odds, pick against spread
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.
- ATS: Raptors -1.5 (-110) | Bulls +1.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Raptors -115 | Bulls +105
- Over/under: O 238.5 (-110) | U 238.5 (-110)
This marks the first time all season that Toronto has been favored. Darko Rajaković’s squad has a 8-18 record, but a polar-opposite 18-8 record against the spread. That 69.2-percent cover rate is the best in the NBA this season. The Raps are also 10-3 ATS at home (76.9%).
Raptors vs. Bulls best bets and final score prediction
The Raptors continue to play hard, and Rajaković has done a fantastic job navigating all the injuries this season. But the Bulls are far better than their 11-15 record suggests. Chicago just beat down the Hornets 109-95, with six Bulls scoring in double-figures — and that was without top scorer Vucevic.
Billy Donovan’s squad rarely misses a step in games that it should win, so don’t count on Chicago slipping with Vooch back tonight. The Bulls’ past four wins against losing teams — vs. the Wizards, vs. the Nets, at the Spurs, and vs. Charlotte — were by an average margin of 19 points.
Vucevic will be the biggest obstacle for Toronto, coming in averaging 21 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 58.7 percent and hitting an obscene 47.4 percent of his threes. Jakob Poeltl has down yeoman’s work this season (15.9 PTS, 11.3 REB, 59.3 FG%), but he can’t handle skilled bigs like Vooch on his own.
Chicago also has skilled ball-handlers in Coby White, Ayo Dosunmo and Zach LaVine, all of whom will put RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and the Raps’ perimeter defense to the test without Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Bruce Brown. Can Darko’s guys get enough stops to keep this one close?
Even more of a question mark, can the Raptors score enough to stay in it? Toronto has averaged 105.5 points per game over its past four, and lost three straight at ScotiaBank Arena. It’s hard to justify making this team a home favorite over an underrated Bulls team.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Bulls 120, Raptors 108 — The Bulls win and the total goes well UNDER the projected total of 238.5.
Raptors vs. Bulls top player prop bet
Nikola Vucevic double-double (-125)
Vucevic coming off a missed game should be raring to go. The veteran big man has 15 double-doubles in 25 games this season, and he has averaged 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds against Toronto throughout his career (44 games).
Bam Adebayo (21/16) and Karl-Anthony Towns (24/15) have both recorded double-dubs against the Raptors over Toronto’s past two games, and we like Vooch to do the same tonight. Don’t mind the slight juice — this feels like a layup.
