Chicitysports – Chicago Sports News Site
  • BEARS
    • Chicago Bears News
    • Chicago Bears Rumors
    • Caleb Williams news
  • BULLS
    • Michael Jordan News
    • Chicago Bulls News
    • Chicago Bulls Rumors
  • BLACKHAWKS
    • Connor Bedard News
    • Chicago Blackhawks News
    • Chicago Blackhawks Rumors
  • CUBS
    • Chicago Cubs Prospects
    • Chicago Cubs News
    • Chicago Cubs Rumors
  • WHITE SOX
    • Chicago White Sox Prospects
    • Chicago White Sox News
    • Chicago White Sox Rumors
  • SKY
  • MESSAGE BOARD
Navigation
  • About Us
  • About Us
  • Author Page Template
  • Chicago Sports News
  • Chicago Sports Podcasts
  • ChiCity+
  • Editorial policy
  • Editorial team
  • email test
  • Get In Touch
  • homepage
  • homepage
  • Join Our Group
  • Meet the team
  • Newsletter
  • Our Writers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Push notifications
  • Social Media
  • test
  • Test page
  • Testing
  • Want to Write for ChiCitySports?
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Chicago White Sox rookie has a rough outing in his first All-Star appearance
  • The Chicago Cubs have two players land in the top 10 for the best All-Stars
  • Chicago Bears stadium project hits speed bump with Arlington Heights govt
  • Dennis Allen must solve a pass rush issue that has plagued the Bears’ defense the last few years
  • Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams earn fiery endorsement from former All-Pro
  • Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams blasted by Green Bay Packers lineman after Lambeau taunt
  • Chicago Bears OL Braxton Jones had setback for injury recovery: Report
  • Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis has clear goals for Year 2
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Want to Write for ChiCitySports?
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Chicitysports – Chicago Sports News SiteChicitysports – Chicago Sports News Site
WANT FREE UPDATES?
  • BEARS
    • Chicago Bears News
    • Chicago Bears Rumors
    • Caleb Williams news
  • BULLS
    • Michael Jordan News
    • Chicago Bulls News
    • Chicago Bulls Rumors
  • BLACKHAWKS
    • Connor Bedard News
    • Chicago Blackhawks News
    • Chicago Blackhawks Rumors
  • CUBS
    • Chicago Cubs Prospects
    • Chicago Cubs News
    • Chicago Cubs Rumors
  • WHITE SOX
    • Chicago White Sox Prospects
    • Chicago White Sox News
    • Chicago White Sox Rumors
  • SKY
  • MESSAGE BOARD
Chicitysports – Chicago Sports News Site
Home»Bulls»3 keys for the Chicago Bulls in their elimination game against the Toronto Raptors
Bulls

3 keys for the Chicago Bulls in their elimination game against the Toronto Raptors

Brandon MorneaultBy Brandon MorneaultApril 11, 20235 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Email
Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

The Chicago Bulls to face off against the Toronto Raptors in the play-in tournament

The Chicago Bulls have narrowly evaded the play-in tournament for the past few years leading up to this season. Heading into this year, believe it or not, there was hope! Lonzo Ball was supposed to come back, Andre Drummond was signed, Alex Caruso and the rest of the team were getting healthy.

Many experts and analysts around the NBA thought the Chicago Bulls would be a threat to do at least a little damage in the Eastern Conference, but they were very wrong.

Fast forward a few months and a lot has changed. Lonzo Ball is now questionable for NEXT season, the roster has changed a bit, and now the future is very uncertain. Things went so poorly this season that the Bulls barely squeaked in as the ten seed and will be traveling to Canada to take on the Raptors in the 9-10 elimination game. DeMar DeRozan has a chance to play the villain role against the team he spent nine seasons with.

The Bulls are led by the high scoring duo of DeRozan and Zach LaVine, who each averaged about 25 points per game this past regular season. Center Nikola Vucevic was also a huge contributor to the team’s ‘success’, if that’s what you want to call it. He averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game and appeared in all 82 games of the regular season.

In order to beat the Toronto Raptors and move on, the Chicago Bulls must keep these three keys in mind.

1. Take the crowd out of the game, early

Toronto is one of the hardest places to play in the NBA, and Jurassic Park will be in full effect on Wednesday for this play-in game. The home court advantage for the Raptors is evident as this season they went 27-14 in Canada, as opposed to their bad 14-27 road record. This isn’t an easy place to take a victory, especially in the playoffs.

In the regular season, the Chicago Bulls were taken down by Toronto twice. Granted those matchups are from months ago, and Pascal Siakam missed two of those games, they’re still nice for reference.

  • Nov. 6, 2022: Raptors 113, Bulls 104
  • Nov. 7, 2022: Bulls 111, Raptors 97
  • Feb. 28, 2023: Raptors 104, Bulls 98

Final rankings

Bulls
Offensive rating 112.8 (24th)
Defensive rating 111.5 (5th)
Net rating +1.3 (13th)

Raptors
Offensive rating 114.6 (13th)
Defensive rating 113.1 (T-10th)
Net rating +1.5 (12th)

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 10, 2023

The Chicago Bulls really need to come out with a high-level intensity in order to stay in this game. The Raptor defense is pretty superb as it currently sits ninth in the league in defensive rating. It’s led by forward OG Anunoby and newly acquired center Jakob Poeltl, as the length and size of this team can be tough to deal with.

They also have more willing defenders like Scottie Barnes and Siakam that already have playoff experience, which is extremely valuable. The length will be a huge problem for Chicago, but this team needs to worry about taking the crowd out of the game as soon as possible. If the Bulls get down by 10-12 points in the first quarter, it could be a long night.

Next page
Bulls fans react to big Play-In victory

Bulls fans react to big Play-In victory

Read More

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Get the latest Chicago sports news, analysis, and breaking stories on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Sky, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, so you never miss a story on your favorite Chicago teams.

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Chicago Bulls DeMar DeRozan NBA NBA play-in NBA Playoffs Nikola Vucevic Toronto Raptors Zach Lavine
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Author Image
BY Brandon Morneault

Brandon Morneault is a trending news writer for ChiCitySports.

Related Posts

Bulls July 15, 2025

Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis has clear goals for Year 2

Bulls July 15, 2025

NBA insider rips Chicago Bulls in latest power rankings

Bulls July 15, 2025

Analyst: Chicago Bulls ‘definitely’ got worse this offseason

Bulls July 14, 2025

Chicago Bulls reveal injury update on rookie; Matas Buzelis’ status for Monday

Bulls July 14, 2025

Michael Jordan ranked number one all-time by Bleacher Report

Bulls July 14, 2025

NBA insider describes Chicago Bulls offseason in one bleak word

Leave A Reply

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
  • Home
  • Message Board
  • About Us
  • Editorial policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Writers
  • Want to Write for ChiCitySports?
  • Privacy Policy
© 2025 ChiCitySports. Designed by Dope Guys Who Run ChiCitySports

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.