As bad as the Toronto Raptors have been record wise as of late, the Bulls have be equally terrible. Despite acquiring a two-time NBA All-Star, the Chicago Bulls have gone just 3-7 in their first 10 games post-trade deadline. For a team that was eager to elevate their ceiling and make a run at a playoff push, the Bulls have been incredibly confusing.
Nikola Vucevic, in terms of his stat line, has been solid. He is averaging a double-double with about 20 points per game on about 50% shooting. The red flag, however, is his plus/minus. In only two of his ten games as a Chicago Bull has Vucevic been able to produce a positive plus/minus. Unsurprisingly, these stat lines were during two of the three wins that the club earned during this period.
With Vanvleet still sidelined, expect Lowry to enter the starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors tonight at 7:30PM EST.
With Kyle Lowry, Fred Vanvleet, and Gary Trent Jr. out of the lineup tonight, the Toronto Raptors guard depth was thin. Forcing OG Anunoby to play as the shooting guard for the Raptors starting lineup. Despite this strained roster, the Toronto Raptors played had their most consistent performance since the club’s win versus the Denver Nuggets at home.
With Fred Vanvleet set to return on Friday, you can expect Malachi’s playing time to diminish. Which is a shame because he has looked incredible these past couple of contests.
In other Raptors news, the Chicago Bulls were only two games ahead of Toronto prior to this game. And if the Magic win versus the Bulls tonight, that difference will be cut down to one. Though the Bulls hold the head-to-head tie break versus the Raptors, they still haven’t shown that their post-deadline moves have been worth it.
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