DeMar DeRozan has made many return trips to play in Toronto since leaving their in 2018, but the February 3rd Bulls at Raptors betting matchup is one of his more interesting homecomings. DeRozan is tied for the franchise record with five straight 30+ point games, but Gary Trent, Jr. has a chance of breaking that record on Thursday night.
Who knows what the record means to DeRozan, but he surely wants to lead the Bulls to a win as they’ve climbed back atop the East with a one game lead over the Heat. The Raptors are on a three game win streak though taking Miami down in two of those. Chicago tallied a 111-105 win over the Raptors at the United Center as -4 point favorites on January 26th, but Toronto is -3.5 in this contest.
Bulls Getting It Done
Chicago has been without PG Lonzo Ball and one of their best defenders Alex Caruso for awhile now, but they continue to take home victories with wins in four of their last five. The Bulls are obviously still a very talented team, but one of their more pleasant surprises has been rookie Ayo Dosunmu stepping up in the backcourt offensively and defensively, averaging 12+ points and 7 assists over the last five.
Dosunmu has proven to be a nice complimentary player but it’s DeRozan that is mainly fueling the Bulls successful season. The former Raptor is averaging 26.5 ppg, the second highest tally of his 13-year career. He’s been consistent with 23+ points in 9 straight games and is averaging 27.5 in two games vs. Toronto this season, both Bulls wins.
Zach LaVine (24.9) is probable in the February 3rd Raptors at Bulls matchup with a back injury, and he’ll be key to have in the lineup after scoring 26+ in two of the last three. Big man Nikola Vucevic controlled the boards with 15 rebounds in the last meeting with Toronto, and should have a good game considering the Raptors have allowed 32/11 and 14/16 to Miami’s Bam Adebayo over the last three games.
Can Trent Do It?
The story of the night is Trent going for the Raptors record of 30+ point games as he’s averaged over 32 ppg during this amazing run. That includes tallying 32 against the Bulls in last Wednesday’s loss.
The thing about Trent’s success is that he’s not even Toronto’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd leading scorer with Fred VanVleet (21.5), Pascal Siakam (21), and OG Anunoby (18.7) claiming those spots. That kind of production has the Raptors 4-1 during Trent’s hot streak – but the only loss was to these Bulls.
Anunoby had 23 in the last meeting with the Bulls but it should be noted that Toronto was without VanVleet who was resting with Toronto being on the back to back. We will see how the Raptors fare when the chips are evened up a bit.
Free February 3rd Bulls at Raptors Betting Pick
It’s hard not to like the Bulls getting 3.5 points here. It’s a homecoming of sorts for DeRozan, but it should also be noted that no fans are allowed in venues yet, and COVID restrictions won’t be lifted until after the all-star break. This one really could go either way, and in that instance you take the points.
Chicago 110 – Raptors 108
Free Pick: Bulls +3.5
