Subscribe
Follow Us
The 9/10 matchup in the 2023 NBA Play-In tournament between the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors will be a contest between two teams that almost sold off their All-Star level pieces, but chose to stand pat in the hopes of turning things around. And to an extent, the Bulls and Raptors, did, indeed, turn their fortunes for the better, although not by much, as one team would soon go home and take a vacation once they lose on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, the Bulls have all the requisite pieces to, at the very least, overcome the Raptors in what should be a very tightly contested matchup. It might be difficult to believe, given that the Bulls have three All-Stars who made their living off of their stellar ability to put the ball through the hoop, but Chicago has inexplicably struggled to score the basketball throughout the 2022-23 campaign.
The Bulls merely rank 24th in offensive rating, the second-worst mark among teams that made the 2023 NBA Play-In tournament (only the Miami Heat was worse). And that is with the services of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. Unexpectedly, the Bulls have become a defensive-minded team, although that is something head coach Billy Donovan's teams always excel at.
Thus, the Bulls should have plenty of defensive guile to stop Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and the rest of the Raptors' most threatening scorers, especially with reigning play-in champion Patrick Beverley in town. But will the Bulls be able to overcome a new-look Raptors team that bested them back on February 28 with Jakob Poeltl in town?
Here are three predictions for when the Bulls take on the Raptors in an 2023 NBA Play-In tournament matchup on April 12.
The game goes right down to the wire
There might not be a more competitive matchup in he 2023 NBA Play-In tournament than this 9/10 matchup between the Bulls and Raptors. Both stand side-by-side on the net rating board, with the Bulls and Raptors outscoring their opponents by 1.3 and 1.5 points, respectively, per 100 possessions. They rank 13th and 12th on that leaderboard, respectively, which is just about right given how uneven their 2022-23 seasons have been.
That alone should make this an extremely competitive matchup, and that's without diving into the individual matchups that should be a treat to watch for the neutral observer. Zach LaVine should draw the Scottie Barnes matchup, given how much more dangerous he is off the ball than DeMar DeRozan, while DeRozan will be focusing on overcoming the tough matchup that is his former teammate, OG Anunoby. Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic will take on Jakob Poeltl in a matchup of heavyweight big men, while Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam will be taking on the defensive-minded duo of Patrick Beverley and Patrick Williams.
There's always the possibility that the Bulls' offense devolves into the clogged toilet setup it has tended to operate in for much of the 2022-23 season, but with seasoned veterans on the roster, Chicago, at the very least, will be able to keep the 9/10 matchup close unlike in 2021 and 2022, when the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks ran roughshod over the Charlotte Hornets during those years, respectively.
DeMar DeRozan pops off at Scotiabank Arena
DeMar DeRozan, as unceremonious as his exit was from the Raptors, remains a beloved figure in the North. After all, he's the Raptors franchise's all-time leading scorer. However, DeRozan hasn't exactly popped off yet in his returns to Scotiabank Arena since, averaging just 22 points in seven games, peaking with a 28-point effort against his old team back in February 2022.
And there might not be a better time for DeRozan to pop off than to save the Bulls' season.
Time and time again, DeRozan has come up huge for the Bulls, especially during their 46-win 2021-22 season. After years of trying to shed his unfortunate DeFrozen nickname, DeRozan has now become a killer in the clutch. And with this game having all the makings of a close affair, the Bulls star should be able to come up huge once more as he tries to extend their season for at least its 84th game.
Patrick Beverley comes up huge and wins in the play-in… again
Since Patrick Beverley started playing for his hometown team in Chicago, the Bulls have gone 14-9, which puts them at a 49-win pace had they sustained that for the rest of the year. Of course, extrapolation is never that simple, but still, the point stands: the Bulls have become an impressively different team with the master instigator around, notching quality wins against the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Philadelphia 76ers along the way.
Beverley's impact doesn't necessarily show up on the box score, but the relentless energy and leadership he provides his teams have proven invaluable time and time again, having missed the postseason just once in his career (2018). And knowing how fiery he can get in such a competitive setting, there's no way Beverley lets the Bulls end his playoff streak.
