Say what you will about Wednesday’s too-close-for-comfort win over the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves—a win is still a win. And after two straight this week, the Toronto Raptors will hope to carry that momentum—any momentum—into what should be a tough battle against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Friday night.
Chicago has been a major problem for the Raptors all season long (Toronto isn’t alone in that regard). The Bulls have owned the season series, up 2-0 on an average score of 114.5-106.5. With their deep rotation of impactful forwards, a litany of streaky shooters and a glut of guards adept at getting to the basket, the Bulls have been able to expose the Raptors’ increasingly shoddy defence better than most teams in the league. As ever, the Bulls are a huge litmus test: A Raptors’ win, or even close-fought effort, can provide a confidence boost with the playoffs around the corner, while another big loss could leave this team and its fans second-guessing their post-season chances.
Projected Starting Five
Raptors: Greivis Vasquez, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas
Bulls: Aaron Brooks, Tony Snell, Mike Dunleavy, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol
Centre of attention
Jonas Valanciunas has been flat out unstoppable since becoming a daddy last weekend. In the three games since, the 22-year-old big man has averaged 14.5 points, 12 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting an unthinkable 80 percent from the field. All the more impressive? He’s done it in just 23 minutes per game, far below the playing time his peers receive. In fact, in the month of March, Valanciunas ranks just 24th among NBA centres in minutes played.
Equally frustratingly, despite the hot hand, JV’s averaging less than nine field-goal attempts per game. Valanciunas has some of his best outings against the league’s top frontcourts, and with Joakim Noah and a rejuvenated Pau Gasol down low, Chicago certainly qualifies. So far this season Valanciunas has played well against the Bulls—posting his seventh-highest scoring average. Making JV a focal point of the offence could go a long way to countering Chicago’s biggest weapon.
Will he or won’t he?
Kyle Lowry left Wednesday’s game early with a back injury. Dwane Casey told the media after Thursday’s practice that the injury isn’t believed to be serious and that Lowry will make the trip to Chicago, where he’s “50/50” to play. Obviously, the Raptors are better off with their all-star in the lineup. To make matters worse, Lowry’s replacement, Greivis Vasquez, has struggled mightily against the Bulls this season, averaging just 4.5 points and two assists in the Raptors’ two losses to Chicago.
The seasoned rookie
After tearing apart the Euroleauge, Chicago’s 24-year-old rookie, Nikola Mirotic, has been doing the same to the NBA of late. With both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler out of the lineup, the Bulls needed their versatile forward to step up. He’s done just that. In his last two games heading into tonight, Mirotic is averaging 26 points, 6.5 rebounds two steals and 1.5 blocks off the bench. He’s also gotten to the line nine times per game, hitting 94.5 percent of his freebies. That said, he’s also a combined 3-for-15 from beyond the arc. Needless to say, the Raptors may want to keep him on the perimeter to limit his effectiveness.
The (formerly) grizzled vet
A major reason Chicago has been able to weather serious injuries to two of its go-to stars is the near-dominant play of Pau Gasol. He’s averaged a 20 and 10 against the Raptors this season, and, at the age of 34, is enjoying his best statistical campaign in years. His 18.4 points per game are the most since 2010-11, while his current 12 rebound-per-game mark is the best of his career (he’s only reached 11 per once, in 2009).
