Bulls at Raptors
The Chicago Bulls have shown they can play with - and beat - the league's elite teams, but it's been a different story when matching up with the lower-echelon squads. The Bulls will have a chance to reverse that trend and gain a measure of revenge when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Friday. It will be the second matchup in four days between the teams, with Toronto squeezing out a three-point win at Chicago on Tuesday.
Chicago snapped New York's 13-game win streak on Thursday, a victory that came 15 days after halting Miami's 27-game run. The Raptors had lost five straight to the Bulls prior to Tuesday's victory. It was the third win in the past four games for Toronto, which plays three of its final four at Air Canada Centre and can finish with a winning record at home for the first time since the 2009-10 season if it can sweep the three games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, WCIU (Chicago), TSN2 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE BULLS (43-35): Chicago is a half-game up on Atlanta for the No. 5 seed in the East with four to play. Reserve guard Nate Robinson poured in a season-high 35 points and is averaging 20 points in his last 10 games. Second-year forward Jimmy Butler continues to come up big with Chicago's frontcourt depleted by injuries. He followed his career-high 28-point effort against Toronto with 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against the Knicks. He played all 48 minutes against the Raptors and 50 against New York.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (30-48): Toronto could be missing a pair of key contributors for the rematch with Chicago. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas was carted off the court with a neck injury in Tuesday's game following a collision with teammate Rudy Gay. He has been listed as a game-time decision but was wearing a soft neck brace Thursday and is likely to sit out. Another setback occurred during Thursday's practice when reserve swingman Terrence Ross hurt his ankle and was not able to put any weight on it.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bulls F Luol Deng, who returned from a two-game absence Thursday, has averaged 17 points in 26 games against Toronto.
2. Valanciunas had a streak of 12 straight games scoring in double figures snapped Tuesday.
3. Chicago has lost to Washington, Detroit and Toronto this month while beating Orlando by only one point.