Bulls at Raptors: Season Opener in Toronto, Chicago Thin Up Front
The Chicago Bulls open the season against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, October 21, with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Chicago lists two players out and five day-to-day, and Toronto is without Nate Bittle.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 7 min ago01The story of the nightThe stakes and the formBoth teams are 0-0, so this is the first game that counts.
Both teams are 0-0, so this is the first game that counts. Chicago went 3-2 in its last five games before the opener. It won the last two, beating Minnesota 133-116 at home on October 16 and Milwaukee 125-104 on the road on October 14. Toronto went 2-3 in its last five. It lost its last two on the road, 129-125 at Detroit and 122-120 at New York. Two days before that, the Raptors beat the Knicks 148-98 at home. Last season belonged to Toronto. The Raptors won all three meetings: 123-107, 110-101 and 139-109.
02Who is in and who is outChicago has the longer injury list.
Chicago has the longer injury list. Nic Claxton (hamstring) and Jordan Hawkins (illness) are out. Five Bulls are day-to-day: Isaac Okoro (knee), Zach Collins (right toe), Leonard Miller (right groin), Tobe Awaka (knee) and Dailyn Swain (illness). Okoro's status matters. He is in Chicago's expected five, based on last season's minutes. If he sits, that spot opens up for someone else on the roster, such as Patrick Williams or Buddy Hield. Toronto has one player out: Nate Bittle, with a right foot injury. The Raptors' expected five is fully available.
03The matchup to watchToronto's likely five has the most minutes from last season.
Toronto's likely five has the most minutes from last season. Scottie Barnes averaged 33.5 minutes, Kawhi Leonard 32.1, Immanuel Quickley 31.9, RJ Barrett 30.3 and Jakob Poeltl 25.0. Chicago's expected five is led by Josh Giddey at 32.1 minutes, with Norman Powell at 29.6, Matas Buzelis at 29.2, Tre Jones at 27.0 and Okoro at 26.9. Watch Barnes and Leonard against Buzelis and Powell on the wings. Inside, Claxton is out and Collins is day-to-day. That leaves Chicago thin against Poeltl. Jalen Smith is the other big on the Bulls' roster.
04How to watch and whenTip-off is 7:30 p.m.
Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 21, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. That is 6:30 p.m. in Chicago. No national TV broadcast is listed for this game. In Toronto, the game airs on SN, with streaming on SN+. In Chicago, it airs on CHSN, with streaming on the CHSN App. Check the injury report before tip-off. Chicago has seven players listed, and five of them are day-to-day, so the likely starting fives could still change. The officials for the game have not been listed yet.