In a tough night for the Chicago Bulls, they dropped their seventh straight game, falling 110-101 to the Toronto Raptors. This marked their return to action following the All-Star break, and one notable absence was Jaden Ivey, who didn’t see any court time.
Interim head coach Wes Unseld Jr. shed light on the decision, emphasizing the challenges of managing a roster heavy with guards. With Josh Giddey and Tre Jones making their comebacks from hamstring injuries, Unseld opted to focus on their minutes.
“Strictly a basketball decision,” Unseld explained. “It’s really hard to play six guards.
I wanted to push to see if I could get Josh and Tre’s minutes up. I think we were comfortable, given where they’ve been.”
Unseld further noted, “I just felt those guys gave us the best chance. We had some pretty good stretches, pretty good combinations. He was just the odd man out tonight.”
Ivey, who arrived in Chicago via a three-way trade involving Kevin Huerter moving to Detroit, has averaged 11.5 points over four games with the Bulls.
With this loss, the Bulls find themselves at 24-32. They’re gearing up for back-to-back home games against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday and the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Anfernee Simons led the Bulls with 20 points, while Isaac Okoro added 16 points and five rebounds. Tre Jones contributed 12 points and six assists, and Collin Sexton chipped in 11 points. Josh Giddey, still finding his rhythm, finished with 5 points on 1-for-7 shooting, and Matas Buzelis recorded four points alongside six rebounds.
The Bulls will need to regroup quickly to turn things around in their upcoming matchups.