Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
Wednesday, 2/23/11, 7:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Chicago -8.5
Current Betting Line: Chicago -8
Opening Total: 199
Current Total: 199
Chicago will get back a familiar face in the lineup tonight and go for its fifth consecutive win Wednesday night against Toronto at the Air Canada Centre. Center Joakim Noah will be paired up with forward Carlos Boozer for just the tenth time this season, as he’s been out with a right thumb injury since November 27. “I don’t know how he’s going to respond once he’s out there,” said coach Tom Thibodeau. “We’ll see how he is.” The Bulls have managed to do quite well in his absence by recording a 38-16 overall mark before the All-Star break, including a 13-12 record on the road. The team is also coming off one of its more impressive victories of the season, handing the San Antonio Spurs a 109-99 loss, led by a career-high 42 points from point guard Derrick Rose. Chicago is 10-2 ATS when playing with three or more days of rest and currently a road favorite on the NBA lines page.
The Bulls have failed to win the season series against the Raptors the past three years, producing a 4-7 record over that span. Currently this season, Chicago is 2-0 against Toronto and is averaging 110.5 points per game, while holding the downtrodden team to just 92 points a contest. In three games versus the club during the 2009-10 campaign, Rose averaged 16.3 points per game and 6.0 assists. It’s important to note that the squad produced a 23-8 record while Noah was out with an injury.
Toronto returned from the break with a disappointing 114-101 effort at Charlotte Tuesday night and now gets set to play the second game of a back-to-back set. The Raptors shot 50 percent from the field against the Bobcats, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop them from suffering their 11th straight road defeat. “I know it will turn around,” said guard Jerryd Bayless. “We’re young, we’re learning.” The offense will need to try and produce at least 102 points in tonight’s contest to have a chance of winning, as the team is 5-31 when failing to reach that mark. It won’t be easy against a team that has allowed just four of its last 36 opponents to hit that number. Toronto is 19-22 ATS as an underdog this season.
The Raptors are led offensively by the play of center Andrea Bargnani, who came into last night’s contest averaging 26.9 points through seven games in February. He ranks sixth among all Eastern Conference players with 21.9 points for the season. Toronto has produced a 1-12 record in the first game of a back-to-back set this year, while going 4-8 in the second game.
Bettors are likely to back the Bulls due to their 10-4 ATS mark in Toronto, while the Raptors are 1-8 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
