It's the Bulls vs. Raptors (-4.5) in a key Eastern Conference matchup tonight at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
The Bulls (28-33), on a modest two-game winning streak after dropping six in a row earlier in February, are starting to click on defense, especially with the addition of Patrick Beverley, who was signed during the All-Star break. With Beverley, Chicago has allowed a combined 170 points in wins over Brooklyn and Washington, after giving up 100 or more points in seven of eight games before the break.
The Bulls, currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and 1.5 games behind Toronto in the standings, are starting to roundup as a solid defensive squad. DeMar DeRozan, who scored 29 points on 11-of-15 from the floor vs. Washington, also continues to find his spots on the floor.
While just 10-20 on the road, Chicago, 4-6 straight up in their last 10 games, will be playing their third game in five nights, but with the 7-10 seeds in each conference making the play-in tournament, this is a good spot for the Bulls to make up ground.
Toronto (30-32), coming off a road loss at Cleveland, will be in action for the third time in four nights. The Raptors are 7-3 in their last 10 games, but six of those wins came against Houston, San Antonio, Orlando, New Orleans and Detroit.
The Raptors are 19-13 at home, including a win over the Bulls inside Scotiabank Arena.
But that was in early-November on the front-end of a home-and-home vs. Chicago. While the season series sits at 1-1, it's been over three months since these two teams have met on the basketball court.
However, even with the Raptors recent success, I feel the Bulls are starting to turn the corner at just the right time. The addition of Beverley also gives Chicago a different feel on defense, which will force the Raptors into plenty of tough shots, if not create easy buckets on the opposite end. While not entirely sold on the Raptors, I'm definitely buying what the Bulls are doing right now.
My Bet: Bulls +4.5
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