Bulls at Raptors
The Chicago Bulls' best player may not be 100 percent when they look to climb above the .500 mark Friday night against the host Toronto Raptors. Point guard Derrick Rose missed practice Wednesday and Thursday this week with right hamstring issues and, while he's expected to suit up versus the Raptors, he likely won't be at full speed. Chicago is still looking for its first road win of the season as it tangles with a Toronto team coming off an impressive win over Memphis.
The Bulls aren't the only team whose marquee player is facing question marks. Toronto's Rudy Gay may feel fine, but his shot has been broken since the start of the season - Gay is shooting just 36.5 percent from the field and has yet to crack the 50 percent mark in nine games. Gay has, however, found other ways to contribute - taking enough shots to average nearly 20 points per game while adding a career-best 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals and a block so far.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, WCIU (Chicago), TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE BULLS (3-3): Chicago has looked disjointed at times this season as it attempts to integrate Rose back into the lineup after he missed all of last season with a serious knee injury. Like Rose, center Joakim Noah (groin) is working through injury issues - and getting back into prime playing shape - but says people who are panicking about the team's slow start need to relax. "I think our starting unit before this season had never played a game together, so I think we're all learning," he told the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week. "I think it's going to get better every game."
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (4-5): Much has been made of Gay's eagerness to shoot the ball - to a fault, his detractors have said - but the veteran small forward doesn't plan to shy away from his approach despite his early-season struggles. "I miss shots," he told the Toronto Star following the win over a Memphis team with whom he spent his first six-plus seasons. "I've missed shots before. Last game (where he shot 11-for-37 versus Houston), I missed a lot of shots. It's nothing. I'm one of those guys who, when I miss two, I'm gonna get the third."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Toronto has won back-to-back meetings against Chicago after dropping the previous five games.
2. Gay is averaging 16.4 points on 39.6-percent shooting in 15 career games versus the Bulls.
3. Chicago and Cleveland are the only teams in the NBA who are unbeaten at home and winless on the road.