Raptors visit Bulls looking to snap two-game losing streak on TSN
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R.J. Barrett and the Toronto Raptors travel to Chicago on Friday looking to snap a mini two-game losing streak against the Bulls.
After an encouraging win over the Phoenix Suns last Sunday, Toronto dropped both ends of their back-to-back this week against the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. The Raptors (18-41) have lost eight of their past 10 games to drop to 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Watch the Raptors vs. Bulls LIVE tonight at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TSN4, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
Toronto might be without star Scottie Barnes tonight, who is listed as questionable with a left hip contusion. The 23-year-old missed Wednesday’s game against the Pacers.
"There's going to be an emphasis on the whole team – not on RJ [Barrett], not on [Immanuel] Quickley," head coach Darko Rajakovic said. "We need to play as a group. We can never have one player step up in the absence of other players. That's a big part of what we're always talking about and trying to have, that team mentality first."
Barnes is averaging 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists on 44.8 per cent shooting over 45 games in 2024-25, his fourth season in the NBA.
Quickley led the team with 18 points and six assists against the Pacers while Barrett, the team’s leading scorer at 21.8 points per game, chipped in 16.
Centre Jakob Poeltl returned to the Raptors lineup against the Pacers following an eight-game absence due to a hip injury. He played 24 minutes in his return, scoring 10 points and adding five rebounds.
The Bulls (23-36) have dropped seven of their past eight games, including five in a row at home but are still holding on to the final spot for the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, 1.5 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets.
"We're trying to win, trying to get to the playoffs," recently acquired centre Zach Collins said. "We've got to be ready to go at all times."
The Bulls have been without centre Nikola Vucevic (calf), guard Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder) and forward Patrick Williams (quad) due to injuries. Vucevic and Dosunmu are both listed as day-to-day, while Williams remains out.
The Bulls have won both earlier meetings between the teams this season, edging out a close 122-121 victory on Dec. 16 before rolling to a 122-106 win on Jan. 31.
The Raptors currently are fifth-last in the NBA and hold a 10.5 per cent chance to win the first-overall pick in the draft lottery. Toronto has no games remaining against top-10 teams and 17 against teams in the bottom-10 in league standings including seven games against the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and Charlotte Hornets, three of the four teams below the Raptors in the standings.