Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Prediction: Home team to avenge away loss

The last time Chicago and Toronto faced each other was less than 24 hours ago, and the Raptors were stronger on their court. Will the Bulls be able to get revenge at home?

The Bulls are placed 12th in the defensive rating right now, and that might not be the team's biggest accomplishment this season. DeMar DeRozan, Javonte Green and Alex Caruso are in the top 20 of the NBA in defensive touches, with Caruso leading the NBA so far. As for the team's results, Chicago currently sits 6th in the Eastern Conference with 5 wins in 11 games. Zach LaVine has missed 4 games and the Bulls have suffered 3 losses. LaVine can go to the floor against Toronto, but Andre Drummond and Coby White are not playing for sure.

Billy Donovan's men lost their last game against the Raptors by a score of 104-131. The Bulls missed more than half of their points in the paint, and quality defense at the arc didn't help make up for the shortcomings. DeRozan wasn't given much to work with and hit just nine shots on 20 points from the field. Goran Dragic and Patrick Williams had good three-point shooting and Vucevic had a decent game overall.

The Raptors have won 3 of their last 4 regular season games and are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference. Fred VanVleet missed 3 games due to injury but has been back on the roster, while Pascal Siakam is out for 2 weeks. The Cameroonian forward leads Toronto in scoring average, but it's still a bit easier to replace him than VanVleet with Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby, as well as Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa. Otto Porter didn't play at the start of the regular season and has now stepped up his bench, and the coach is also actively playing rookie Christian Koloko.

Koloko played 30 minutes against Chicago. He wasn't a key player, but his six blocked shots were a big help for Toronto. The bench didn't make a single three-pointer in that game and the starters didn't have much going for them either. Along with Koloko, only OG Anunoby made at least 50 percent of his shots from the field, and VanVleet was the Raptors' top scorer. In addition to his 30 points, Fred contributed 11 assists.

Chicago started well last week against Toronto and could easily win on the road. The Bulls need to improve at home and their chances of success will only increase with the return of Zach LaVine. The Bulls' bench looks stronger than Toronto's, even with the loss of Drummond and White. The Raptors lost their offensive leader, and this will definitely affect the game of the Canadian club in the near future. Our prediction is as follows:

• TO (221.5) for 1.95;
• H1 (-2.5) for 1.892;
• W1 by 21+ Points for 7.50.

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