Both the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors are currently experiencing a losing streak, which one of these teams will manage to break. The Chicago Bulls (8-16) have lost their last two games in a row, while the Toronto Raptors (15-7) have lost three consecutive matches.
Toronto Raptors
Despite the losing streak, the Raptors players can be somewhat justified, considering the opponents they lost to. They narrowly lost 110-121 after overtime to one of the Eastern Conference leaders, the Miami Heat. They then lost 109-119 to one of the strongest Western Conference teams, the Houston Rockets, and 104-110 away to last year's Eastern Conference finalists, the Philadelphia 76ers. Overall, all seven of Toronto's losses were against teams occupying the top positions in their conferences. They lost to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and Philadelphia 76ers. On the other hand, the Raptors have only beaten three teams considered truly strong: the Los Angeles Lakers, the same Philadelphia 76ers (at home), and the Utah Jazz.
It is also important to note that the team's nominal leader, Kyle Lowry, missed almost the entire start of the season, and S. Ibaka also had health issues, returning to the court only last week. Considering that the team played more than 20 games without these key players and still ranks at the top of the Eastern Conference, it can be said that the Toronto Raptors team certainly has no shortage of potential, and we should see more of this team's capabilities in the near future.
In their last game against the 76ers, the Toronto Raptors defended poorly, which partly led to their defeat. The Philadelphia team shot over 50% from the field, with a three-point shooting accuracy of ~44%. Considering that this team is not known for its three-point shooting, this is an incredibly high shooting percentage, indicating that the Toronto Raptors completely failed to handle their opponents' shots. Kyle Lowry looked much better in his second game after the injury than in the first match, scoring 26 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and providing 5 assists. Also returning from injuries was key rotation player OG Anunoby, who scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The undisputed leader of the Toronto Raptors is the Cameroonian Pascal Siakam, who emerged last season and received even more opportunities to shine after Kawhi Leonard's departure. He ranks 11th in the league in points scored, averaging 25 points per game and grabbing 8.6 rebounds. Kyle Lowry adds 20.5 points and 7 assists per game. Fred VanVleet, who has been filling in excellently for Lowry, averages 18.7 points per game.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls this season are one of the most unpredictable teams. Although the team certainly has potential and seems to have players who can take the initiative, the team still does not demonstrate consistent play, aside from a few individual flashes of brilliance on certain nights. This is evidenced by two losses to one of the weakest NBA teams at the moment, the Golden State Warriors. On the other hand, they narrowly lost 105-110 in overtime away to the Miami Heat, and if not for T. Herro's clutch three-pointers at the end of the game, the Chicago team would have had a very good chance of winning.
Overall, the leader of the Chicago Bulls is the aforementioned Zach LaVine, who averages 22.5 points per game. Meanwhile, the Finn Lauri Markkanen averages 13.9 points along with 6.7 rebounds. One of the better rookies this year, C. White, coming off the bench, adds 12.5 points per game. Second-year player Wendell Carter Jr. averages a double-double: 12.3 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Prediction
For both teams, this will be the second game in two days, so the situation is equal for both, and neither team will have an advantage. Considering how inconsistently the Chicago team has played this season, predicting the winner can be difficult, although the Toronto Raptors will certainly enter this match as favorites. Since the Toronto team has handled potentially lower-level teams very well this season. With Lowry, Anunoby, and Ibaka gradually getting back into form, and with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and other key players also finding their rhythm during their absence, the Raptors should be able to break their losing streak and take a win from Chicago by more than a 5-point margin.
Toronto Raptors, -5 1.9 odds betsafe
