One of the more emotional storylines on opening night comes north of the border as Kawhi Leonard makes his long-awaited return to Toronto, the city where he delivered the Raptors their first NBA championship. The atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena should be electric, and there's no question the Raptors will feed off that energy early. Toronto enters the season built around a defensive identity, with Leonard joining Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl and a physical supporting cast that ranked among the league's better defensive teams last season. Leonard has already emphasized that this group plans to win with defense first, making life difficult for opponents before letting the offense develop naturally.
Still, asking Toronto to win by double-digits against a young, hungry Chicago team feels like a bit too much for opening night. The Bulls are clearly in the early stages of a rebuild, but they possess enough young talent to remain competitive, led by Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, rookie Caleb Wilson and veteran additions Norman Powell, Nic Claxton and Buddy Hield. While this roster may lack the star power to consistently beat playoff-caliber teams, the energy and unpredictability of a young squad often show up early in the season before depth and experience become larger factors. Chicago should also benefit from the fact that opening night games can be sloppy, with both teams still working through rotations and offensive chemistry. Toronto's defense will likely control long stretches of the game, but points should be at a premium -- making every possession more valuable and a large spread tougher to cover. The Raptors may celebrate Kawhi's homecoming with a victory, but Chicago has enough talent and youthful energy to keep this game respectable for four quarters.
Bulls vs Raptors prediction: Chicago +10.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
