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After a tough loss on Friday night in Boston, the Chicago Bulls will try to rebound and get back to being over .500 on the season. Currently they sit 6th in the Eastern Conference but given how early it is in the year, these seedings are bound to change. Now the real test begins for Chicago, they are about to embark on one of tougher stretches of their schedule.
The Bulls' schedule in November is so rough. Gets a little easier in Dec. and especially Jan. They just need to tread water for now with no Lonzo, and LaVine at 80% at best. Just being a few games over .500 by the time Zo comes back would be a big accomplishment to me. pic.twitter.com/N7yufXfmKC
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) November 4, 2022
Despite the worst start compared to last year, one positive has been the Bulls competitiveness against the better teams in the East. We all know Chicago’s troubles with playoff teams last season but so far this year they have already beaten Miami, Boston, and Brooklyn. This is an encouraging sign that the Bulls can at least hold their own against the top teams in the league. It will be a test no doubt but it seems Chicago may be up to the challenge. It all begins with a trip up north.
The Bulls' opponent will be the Toronto Raptors. They have the same record as Chicago, sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. Toronto just had their winning streak snapped by the Dallas Mavericks on Friday with a final score of 111-110. The Raptors couldn’t stop Luka Doncic but thanks to 27 points from OG Anunoby, they nearly pulled off the win on the road.
The same matchup problems as last season exist for the Bulls when they play against Toronto. It’s all about if Chicago can deal with the length of the Raptors, especially on offense. Toronto is a good team who can switch defenders onto other players and not lose a step. After the poor play for most of the game from Bulls players not named DeMar DeRozan, the pressure will be on the other guys to make plays. This includes the bench who were thoroughly outplayed by the Celtics reserves.
Injury Report: Andre Drummond and Coby White are still out. Zach LaVine was listed as questionable earlier with right knee management but has since been ruled out. Derrick Jones Jr. is probable with a right thumb injury.
Meanwhile for Toronto, they will be missing Pascal Siakam as he suffered a right groin injury against Dallas. Fred VanVleet and Kheem Birch are questionable with a lower back and right knee soreness injuries respectively.
Game Time: 5PM
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Odds: The Bulls are two-and-a-half-point underdogs in this game. The total is set at 221.5 at most books but can find 222 or even 221 depending on where you look (via the Action Network)
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