Pre-Gamin’: Bulls at Raptors (6:30 CT) – Broadcast Info, Projected Lineups, What to Watch For
It’ll be a tough matchup tonight against the Raptors who are playing some good basketball, but a win tonight makes it three in a row for our Bulls. That’s called a winning streak – it has happened before.
Game Info
Chicago Bulls (28-33) at Toronto Raptors (30-32) – 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Projected Starting Lineups
Chicago Bulls
- Patrick Beverley
- Alex Caruso
- Zach LaVine
- DeMar DeRozan
- Nikola Vučević
Injury Report: Javonte Green OUT (knee), Lonzo Ball OUT (knee)
Toronto Raptors
- Fred VanVleet
- Gary Trent Jr
- OG Anunoby
- Pascal Siakam
- Jakob Poeltl
Injury Report: Christian Koloko QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Dalano Blanton DOUBTFUL (thumb), Otto Porter Jr. OUT (foot)
Odds
The Bulls come into tonight as 5-point underdogs against the Raptors at both PointsBet Illinois Sportsbook and FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook. Click on either link to sign up and pick the Bulls to cover (… or pick the opposite …)!
What to Watch For
- DEFENSE! DEFENSE! But yea, both teams coming into this game playing very good defense, the Raptors especially so at home. The Bulls as we know have allowed under 90 points in their two games since adding Patrick Beverley and re-shuffling the starting lineup. The Bulls also are the NBA’s top-scoring defense since January 1st.
- Can Zach LaVine stay red-hot? Since Beverley’s arrival and his challenging LaVine to take his game to the next level, Zach’s been on fire. He’s also been incredibly efficient in his scoring. In his last two games, Zach has scored 27 and 32 points. He’s shooting 65.7% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. He can’t stay THAT hot forever, but this is the type of scorer Zach can be. And with DeMar DeRozan still battling through his hip injury, the Bulls need LaVine to be that go-to scorer. Tonight against Toronto should be a great test for Zach.
- Sure, maybe I’m just in an emotional place with Patrick Kane leaving the Blackhawks, but I’m always a fan of the player returning home storyline. We get that again with DeRozan making a return to Toronto. DeMar has been pretty solid in his career against the Raptors averaging 22 Points and 6 Assists. Hopefully, that hip injury keeps improving and the Bulls get him back to full strength.
- I’ve really enjoyed the Bulls’ new starting lineup. I talked about it over the weekend, but Beverley and Caruso on the floor at the same time makes the Bulls so much more dynamic defensively. Beverley has even said as much. Not only does the first unit improve, but Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams really have things open up for them in the second unit. It allows Williams to be more aggressive offensively and shoot more and lets Ayo fall back to his more natural role.
