Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls, United Center, Chicago, IL
Saturday, April 2, 2011, 8:00 pm Eastern, TV: WGN
Opening Line: Bulls -14.5
Current Line: Bulls -14.5
Opening Total: 199
Current Total: 198
Money Line: Bulls -2100 / Raptors +1250
The Chicago Bulls (55-20) will try to win their third straight game and move three games ahead of the Miami Heat in the chase for the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race when they host the Toronto Raptors (20-54) on Saturday. The Bulls (-14.5) grinded out a 101-96 win at Detroit on Friday and are 11-8-1 against the spread this season when playing without a day of rest this season.
The Pistons made Chicago work for its 14th victory in 16 games as the team closes in on the best record in the East. The Bulls led by as many as 15 points but could not put Detroit away until the final minute. With seven games remaining in the regular season, they can extend their lead over the Heat and Boston Celtics, who slid three games back to third after falling 88-83 at Atlanta.
Leading NBA MVP candidate Derrick Rose again led the charge with a team-high 27 points, 13 of which he scored in the first quarter as Chicago built a 31-21 lead. Rose was earlier named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March and also dished out seven assists and had four steals while Carlo Boozer had another solid performance with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Boozer has become a more integral part of the offense with center Joakim Noah sidelined the past two games due to an ankle injury. The Bulls have not been the same defensively without Noah, as the total has gone OVER in both of those games he has missed. However, they have also averaged 104.5 points during that stretch with Boozer averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raptors are one of four teams to beat Chicago since the All-Star break, ironically winning 118-113 in Noah’s first game back from a thumb injury on February 23. The Bulls did not allow more than 89 points in their next nine games after that, one of the main reasons Tom Thibodeau was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for March as the team went 13-3. Thibodeau has done a masterful job of keeping his young players motivated down the stretch with the top seed within reach.
Toronto hopes to hand Chicago its second straight home loss after winning 14 in a row at the United Center. Surprisingly, the Raptors have won three of the last four meetings there both straight-up and against the spread as underdogs. However, they were blown out 111-91 the last time they visited the Bulls on January 4. The OVER has cashed in the last three meetings.
Like Noah, leading scorer Andrea Bargnani (21.8 points per game) is questionable to play with an ankle injury for the Raptors, who will be looking to break a five-game losing streak. Bargnani did not practice on Friday after scoring 22 points in a 104-98 home loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday. He had missed the previous game with the injury and is also recovering from flu-like symptoms.
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