Steve Starr
- Go to BetOnline or Bovada for the latest odds on the Raptors vs Bulls Eastern Conference Play-In matchup
- The NBA’s play-in tournament features the seventh through 10th place clubs battling for the final two playoff seeds in each conference
- Tip off from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada is at 7pm ET on Wednesday, April 12
Toronto (40-41) hosts Chicago (39-42) on Wednesday night in the second game of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. The winner will travel to take on the Miami Heat on Friday with a spot in the NBA Playoffs on the line while the loser will start their offseason.
Will the Raptors or Bulls advance? Before we break down the matchup and make our picks, check out the latest 2023 NBA Playoff Betting Odds and our guide to betting on the 2023 NBA Finals.
Raptors vs Bulls
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| Chicago Bulls | +4.5 (-110) | +170 | |
| Toronto Raptors | -4.5 (-110) | -195 |
DeRozan returns to Toronto
Toronto took the season series 2-1, winning their last matchup 104-98 back in February. DeMar DeRozan will return to Toronto to face his former team in the postseason for the first time. The longtime Raptor was shipped to San Antonio in the Kawhi Leonard trade that helped the franchise to its first-ever championship. It was an emotional experience for DeRozan, who has made the past two All-Star games while with the Bulls.
The 33-year-old is averaging 24.7 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds in his second season in the Windy City. With star guard Zach Lavine, who is putting up 24.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, Chicago has one of the most formidable backcourts in the entire NBA. Nikola Vucevic also gives Billy Donovan’s club some solid front-court production with 17.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest.
The Toronto Raptors will face Demar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls.
Who You Got?#NBA #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/91djLeOlc9
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 8, 2023
Raptors finish home stand
Toronto decided to hold on to OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet at the trade deadline. However, the former will likely be dealt over the summer and the latter is poised to leave in free agency. Head coach Nick Nurse might also have one foot out the door. All this to say, the vibes haven’t been good around the Raptors this year.
Still, promising second-year forward Scottie Barnes is averaging 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists. And Pascal Siakim made his second career All-Star Game appearance this season. He has per game marks of 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists. The talent is there for Toronto, but the team has delivered inconsistent effort all year.
Toronto vs Chicago
Toronto is 4.5-point chalk at home on Wednesday night. They’re 26-14 at Scotiabank Arena with a 24-15-1 record against the spread. Their 61.5% home cover rate is tied for the second-best in the NBA and the Raptors are a strong 20-12-1 as a home favorite.
Meanwhile, Chicago has a 17-23 record away from home, covering in 47.4% of their road contests. The Bulls are a respectable 15-12-1 as a road underdog, however.
Scottie Barnes is already 15th on the Raptors' all-time assist list, and he's only 21 years old.
Future of Toronto⭐️ pic.twitter.com/kV8q6AhQcd
— GTJGotNext (@GTJGotNext) April 1, 2023
Raptors’ games go OVER at the fifth-highest rate (55.6%) in the league while Bulls’ contents go UNDER at the third-highest rate (54.3%). That said, Chicago road games have a balanced 20-20 OVER-UNDER mark and Toronto only has a slight 52.5 OVER lean north of the border.
Best Bet
Given that the Raptors have had bad mojo all season, we’ll take the Bulls to win straight up on Toronto’s home floor with DeMar DeRozan hitting the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
See below the top NBA sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
