Chicago visits Toronto for conference showdown

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Thursday, January 18, 2024

Chicago Bulls (19-23, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (16-25, 12th in the Eastern Conference)

Toronto; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST

: Bulls -2.5; over/under is 224.5

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Toronto and Chicago face off on Thursday.

The Raptors are 10-18 against Eastern Conference opponents. Toronto is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 11.3 offensive rebounds per game led by Jakob Poeltl averaging 2.8.

The Bulls have gone 12-16 against Eastern Conference opponents. Chicago ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference with 11.2 offensive rebounds per game led by Andre Drummond averaging 3.3.

The Raptors average 115.1 points per game, 2.7 more points than the 112.4 the Bulls allow. The Bulls' 45.8% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.6 percentage points lower than the Raptors have allowed to their opponents (48.4%).

The teams play for the third time this season. The Raptors won the last matchup 121-108 on Nov. 25, with OG Anunoby scoring 26 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bruce Brown is scoring 12.1 points per game and averaging 4.7 rebounds for the Raptors. RJ Barrett is averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over the last 10 games for Toronto.

Coby White is scoring 18.5 points per game and averaging 4.4 rebounds for the Bulls. DeMar DeRozan is averaging 20.8 points and 4.7 rebounds over the last 10 games for Chicago.

LAST 10 GAMES: Raptors: 4-6, averaging 121.1 points, 41.0 rebounds, 29.4 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.9 points per game.

Bulls: 5-5, averaging 109.7 points, 45.4 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 6.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.5 points.

INJURIES: Raptors: Jakob Poeltl: out (ankle), Otto Porter Jr.: out (knee).

Bulls: Patrick Williams: day to day (ankle), Andre Drummond: day to day (back), Dalen Terry: day to day (patella), Torrey Craig: out (foot), Ayo Dosunmu: day to day (shoulder), Lonzo Ball: out for season (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.