The Bulls got a much-needed frontcourt body back on Wednesday, but it didn’t do much to stop the bleeding in a lopsided loss to Toronto.
Zach Collins returned after sitting out the preseason with a quad injury, giving Chicago some help inside as the regular season got underway. For now, though, the Bulls are easing him in. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Collins is expected to be held to about 12-to-16 minutes per game.
“The tough part about Zach is he didn’t play yet,” head coach Tiago Splitter said prior to Wednesday’s game vs. Toronto.
“He didn’t play much last year, so we slowly want to put him there in the rotation and see those combinations, playing double-big or not. We’re going to have time to see it, have a small sample there, but we will try different combinations.”
Collins’ first night back was quiet on the scoreboard. He played nine minutes, didn’t score, and the Bulls were steamrolled 135-92 by the Raptors. Even so, he pulled down five rebounds, and Chicago was plus-seven while he was on the floor.
The Bulls also had something else to sort through after the game: Josh Giddey revealed that he’s dealing with a left wrist issue that began in the preseason and, in his words, will need to be managed “throughout the season,” according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. When asked whether it was a tissue injury, Giddey pointed reporters to the Bulls’ medical staff.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network reported that the 24-year-old guard was not listed on the injury report before Wednesday’s game.
Elsewhere in the Central Division, Detroit’s depth was on full display in Tuesday’s comeback win. Reserve wing Javonte Green scored 19 second-half points after not playing at all in the first half, and the Pistons leaned on that kind of balance to finish the job.
“We’ve got a high level of trust in everybody on our roster,” J.B. Bickerstaff said.
“We know that at any point in time, we’ve got a guy that we can put in depending on what the mood calls for.” Jalen Duren echoed that sentiment: “That’s what makes us a team, you know?
Having guys on a deep team, guys who can come in and make plays automatically, guys who know their roles and play their roles to the best of their abilities - that’s how we get wins like this. That’s how we become successful.”
There was also news tied to Cleveland’s future. Saliou Niang has been cleared by the NCAA to play for LSU this season, according to Sportando, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress confirming the report. Niang, the 58th overall pick in the 2025 draft, will now be a domestic draft-and-stash player for the Cavs after spending last season with Virtus Bologna in Italy.
And in New Orleans, the Pacers took an early step they can build on. More than a year removed from their Game 7 loss to Oklahoma City in the 2025 NBA Finals, Indiana still has most of the players from that night on the roster, and Tony East of Forbes wrote that the defeat continues to fuel them. The Pacers also had a strong showing Wednesday in Tyrese Haliburton’s first regular season game since April 2025, outlasting the Pelicans 123-120 as Haliburton finished with 23 points and 12 assists.
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Bleacher Reports Dan Favale recently put three names into the Pacers trade orbit in Yves Missi, Jaylin Williams, and Jordan Walsh, a list that suggests Indiana may still be looking for a specific kind of fit rather than just adding talent for the sake of it. The interesting part is what that pursuit says about the bigger picture: the Pacers appear to believe this group can climb, and the next move could tell a lot about how aggressive they plan to be while Haliburton leads the way. [Read more 🡒]
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Indiana does not currently have an obvious answer for the role McConnell fills, and that puts extra weight on both the short-term rotation and the bigger question hanging over his future. His career has lasted this long because he has consistently outlasted expectations, but the Pacers now have to contend with the possibility that even one of their most dependable pieces may be entering a more fragile stretch. For a team that leans on him in ways few backups are asked to shoulder, the timing is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Obi Toppin May Be Exactly What The Pacers Need Right Now
The Pacers got exactly the kind of lift they were hoping for in their season-opening win over New Orleans, and Obi Toppin was a big part of it. Coming off the bench, he gave Indiana a burst of scoring and energy, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 24 minutes while showing the kind of versatility that fits neatly into the way this roster wants to play.
For a team that is trying to build depth and keep its offense flowing no matter who is on the floor, Toppins early impact matters. He looked comfortable blending into multiple roles, and his ability to provide production without disrupting the chemistry gives the Pacers a useful option beyond the starting lineup as the season gets moving. [Read more 🡒]