Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Prediction and Betting Tips | Jan. 31, 2025

The Chicago Bulls face the surging Toronto Raptors on Friday. Chicago will look to take a 2-0 season series lead after eking past Toronto 122-121 in mid-December. Zach LaVine is unavailable for personal reasons, but Coby White, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball are ready to lead the Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Raptors will have revenge on their minds after the loss to the Bulls in their first meeting of the season. Toronto will also look to extend a season-high five-game winning run.

Kelly Olynyk, Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley are questionable. The Raptors will likely lean more on Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett if the injured trio aren't cleared to play.

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Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Preview, Prediction, Starting Lineups and Betting Tips

Scotiabank Arena in Toronto will host the Bulls-Raptors rematch. Basketball fans can stream the action via the NBA League Pass.

Moneyline: Bulls (+145) vs. Raptors (-170)

Odds: Bulls (+4.5) vs. Raptors (-4.5)

Total (O/U): Bulls (o233.0 -110) vs. Raptors (u233.0 -110)

Editor’s Note: The odds could change closer to the game. The odds listed are as per available information at the time of writing.

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Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors preview

The Chicago Bulls have struggled this season because of their defense. They are 25th in the NBA in defensive rating and have had trouble defending the shaded lane. Chicago allows 55.9 paint points per game, the worst in the league.

Chicago’s biggest defensive weakness is Toronto’s strength on offense. The Raptors average 54.5 PPG in the paint, the third-best in the NBA. The Bulls’ chances of repeating will improve if Nikola Vucevic gets help against their hosts' inside attacks.

Vucevic has also reportedly indicated that he wants to be traded, so how he anchors the defense will be interesting.

The Toronto Raptors are 24th in defensive rating this season, slightly better than their visitors. However, they have dialed up their play on that end in their last eight games, allowing 102.5 PPG.

Toronto has a good chance of tying the series if it can continue to clamp down on opponents. On offense, Scottie Barnes and Co. must limit their turnovers to keep their offense from stuttering. The Raptors could make the Chicago Bulls' defense look good if they commit unforced errors, which they can be prone to doing.

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Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors predicted starting lineups

Bulls

PG: Josh Giddey | PG: Lonzo Ball | SG: Coby White | SG: Ayo Dosunmu | C: Nikola Vucevic

Raptors

PG: Davion Mitchell | SG: Ochai Agbaji | SF: RJ Barrett | PF: Scottie Barnes | C: Jakob Poeltl

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Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors betting tips

Nikola Vucevic is averaging 18.2 PPG in January. Although the Bulls will give him his touches because of Zach LaVine’s absence, the Raptors’ much-improved defense could limit his production. Toronto could stop him from going over his 20.5 (O/U) points prop.

Coby White, meanwhile, has struggled in his last five games, averaging 16.2 PPG. Without LaVine, Toronto’s defense could focus more on the athletic guard. The Raptors might force the ball out of his hands and force Josh Giddey or Lonzo Ball to beat them.

White has scored over 20 points thrice this month, so he might struggle to get over his 20.5 (O/U) points prop.

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Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors prediction

The Toronto Raptors are playing much better on both ends of the floor and are on a roll. Without Zach LaVine, Toronto won't have to worry with perhaps Chicago’s most explosive scorer. The home team could coast to their sixth straight win and beat the -4.5 spread.