Raptors at Bulls
The Toronto Raptors are tuning up for the playoffs by getting their players plenty of rest while picking on teams at the bottom of the standings. The Raptors try to record their third straight win against a team out of playoff contention when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Toronto knocked off the Bulls at home 112-103 on Tuesday despite not playing a starter more than 22 minutes and trounced New York 117-92 in the opener of its two-game road trip two days later while giving star forward Kawhi Leonard the night off. The Raptors appear to be a safe bet for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and are getting ready by playing four of their final six regular-season games on the road. The Bulls are just trying to get through the end of the season with enough healthy bodies as they shut down second-year forward Lauri Markkanen on Wednesday as he undergoes testing to determine why he experienced a rapid heartbeat in the loss to Toronto. Fellow starters Zach LaVine (knee), Otto Porter Jr. (shoulder) and Kris Dunn (back) joined Markkanen on the bench to watch Chicago drop a 118-98 home decision to Portland.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (53-23): Toronto employs two All-Stars in the starting lineup in Leonard and point guard Kyle Lowry and another former All-Star in center Marc Gasol, but budding star Pascal Siakam could be the difference-maker in the postseason. The 24-year-old led the way with 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting in Thursday's win while adding five rebounds and five assists. Siakam is averaging 25 points on 62.8 percent shooting over his last five contests and leads the team in shooting percentage on the season at 54.9.
ABOUT THE BULLS (21-55): With four starters sidelined by injuries, opportunities opened up for other players, and guard Shaquille Harrison took advantage by recording career highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's loss. "It's definitely uplifting because (you) put in the work and you can see it manifests out there on the court," Harrison told reporters. "Unfortunately, didn't get the win today with the career high, but I'll take it. You've got some of our core guys out right now. But it's the NBA. The next guy is the reason why these guys are on a roster, the reason why I'm on a roster. When your time is called, it's time to step up." Harrison has scored in double figures in four of the last six games while Wednesday's double-double was the second of his career and first of the points-rebounds variety.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bulls SG Wayne Selden added his first double-double on Wednesday with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
2. Raptors SF OG Anunoby (concussion) sat out Wednesday's game and is not expected to play against Chicago.
3. Toronto has posted eight straight wins in the all-time series, including a 122-83 road victory on Nov. 17.