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Raptors vs. Bulls live blog: Who will stay alive in NBA play-in tournament?
The Raptors and Bulls square off with the winner advancing to play the Miami Heat on Friday.
The Toronto Raptors finished an underwhelming 2022-23 season as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they'll have to navigate the NBA play-in tournament to reach the actual playoffs. The odds are stacked against them but there's still a chance for the Raptors to sneak into the postseason.
First up is a clash with old friend DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m ET. The winner of that matchup will earn a road date with the Miami Heat — who lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the East's first play-in game — on Friday.
In their first taste of the play-in tournament, it's somewhat fitting that the Raptors' path to the playoffs will have to go through two former franchise icons. If they beat DeRozan's Bulls, Kyle Lowry is waiting in Miami. Will Toronto slay the heroes from its past, or will the team's playoff hopes fizzle out?
Follow along with all the action from Raptors-Bulls with our live blog:
Who won the season series?
The Raptors and Bulls squared off three times during the regular season, with Toronto winning two of the games. These contests aren't necessarily indicative of what's to come, though, as Raptors star Pascal Siakam missed two of those games, while Zach LaVine — the Bulls' leading scorer — sat out one.
These teams also only played each other once post-trade deadline, where Toronto added Jakob Poeltl and Chicago added Patrick Beverley after he was waived by the Orlando Magic.
What are the betting odds?
The Raptors are a 5.5-point favourite at BetMGM against the Bulls. Both Toronto and Chicago were playing fairly well down the stretch, and it should be a competitive game with both teams trying to stay alive to face the Heat on Friday. The Bulls were a little inconsistent late in the season but are capable of pulling off a road win. At the very least they could keep the game within the spread thanks to their strong defence.
