Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Play-in game injury report: Who’s in an who’s out
It’s do-or-die time for the Bulls and Raptors. Luckily for both, their rosters are more or less healthy as they prepare for this massive Play-In Tournament game.
Wednesday night will see the Chicago Bulls visiting the Toronto Raptors in what is a win-or-go-home Play-In Tournament game. Following their win in the last game of the season on Sunday against the Pistons, the Bulls will be looking to stay on track. The Raptors on the other hand, will be looking to get back to winning ways after they were defeated on the road by the Boston Celtics. There’s literally everything to play for in this one.
Bulls vs Raptors: The Lay of the Land
When the Bulls and Raptors meet on Wednesday night, it will be for a shot at playing against the Miami Heat and of course the 8th and final seed for this year’s playoffs. Needless to say, there’s a lot at stake in this game with the winner going home. Now, while there are several key areas which could determine who gets the all-important win, it’s got to be said that when it comes down to it, this is going to be about the central figures for either team. In the case of Toronto, that means Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam have got to step up. Where Chicago is concerned, it’ll largely rest on the shoulders of DeMar DeRozan.
Where the Raptors’ duo is concerned, Siakam is undoubtedly their best player, but it’s VanVleet who keeps the motor running so to speak. Across the season, VanVleet has averaged 19.3 points, 7.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds on roughly 36.7 minutes per game. The way in which he supplements Siakam’s skills is testament to the way in which he effectively runs Toronto’s offense. If the two of them can get it together, they could most definitely cause real problems for the Bulls. This of course brings us to Chicago’s own star, DeMar DeRozan. In a word, DeRozan has been sensational this year. With an average of 26.2 points, five assists and 4.9 rebounds on 36.2 minutes he’s been a force of nature. On the other hand, DeRozan’s numbers have often dropped when it comes to post season play. That’s to say if Chicago is to get out of the Play-In Tournament it will depend heavily on DeRozan’s ability to rise to the occasion against his former team.
What about injuries?
Luckily for both teams, the injury report is not extensive with one player ruled out on either side. For the Bulls, it’s Lonzo Ball who as you probably know recently had his third surgery on his left knee, meaning he will most likely miss all of the coming season. A harsh blow to both the player and the team. Yet, this has been the case since March i.e., the Bulls have got to this point without him. Where the Raptors are concerned, Otto Porter Jr. has been ruled out with a left foot injury.
Bulls vs Raptors: Other points to note
The last time these two teams met was back on February 28th, when the Raptors won a tightly contested affair by a score of 104-98. Indeed, the Raptors lead this season’s series 2-1, however, across their last 10 meetings the Bulls actually lead 7-3 which is to say despite recent results, the Bulls are in no way inferior to their opponents.