The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament continues with a matchup between the 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls & 9th-seeded Toronto Raptors – which team will move on to face the Miami Heat for a playoff spot on Friday?<\/p>\n
Both the Chicago Bulls<\/strong><\/a> (40-42) & Toronto Raptors<\/strong><\/a> (41-41) have underachieved this season despite possessing a combined five players who’ve made an All-Star game within the last few seasons. Chicago never really got going due to various inconsistencies and the year-long absence of starting point guard Lonzo Ball<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Toronto, on the other hand, just couldn’t find a solid lineup combination throughout the season, with players like Gary Trent Jr.<\/strong><\/a> alternating in and out of the starting group. But two key midseason moves ended up being positive steps toward real continuity for each team: Patrick Beverley<\/strong><\/a> brought veteran leadership and intensity to Billy Donovan’s group, and underrated, two-way center Jakob Poeltl<\/strong><\/a> rejoined the Raptors after beginning his career there in 2016.<\/p>\n Acquiring both players served to put other pieces in place – Chicago finally had a starting guard with experience, and Poeltl allowed Pascal Siakam<\/strong><\/a> to slot back into a more natural spot at power forward.<\/p>\n With Toronto winning the season series 2-1, which squad holds the advantage in a “winner-take-all” scenario?<\/p>\n In the regular season, the home team won each matchup between Chicago and Toronto. Their most recent tilt, and the only meeting after the trade deadline, saw the Raptors pick up a 104-98 victory at Scotiabank Arena. It’s a great indicator of how things could shake out because it featured the “ideal starting five” for both Billy Donovan & Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.<\/p>\n Chicago trotted out familiar faces Zach LaVine<\/strong><\/a>, DeMar DeRozan<\/strong><\/a>, Nikola Vucevic<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0and Alex Caruso<\/strong><\/a>, with Beverley rounding out the lineup at point. Toronto countered with their usual rotation of Siakam, Fred VanVleet<\/strong><\/a>, OG Anunoby<\/strong><\/a>, and Scottie Barnes, with Poeltl now manning the middle instead of going small with Trent Jr.<\/p>\n Two things were encouraging for Toronto in that February 28th matchup: they won through a 1\/11 shooting effort from VanVleet and noted “Bulls killer” Gary Trent Jr. erupted for 19 points (hit 5 triples) in 27 minutes. You have to figure VanVleet will play much better overall – and if someone out of Trent Jr., Chris Boucher<\/strong><\/a> & Precious Achiuwa<\/strong><\/a> can reach double figures, it makes it a lot tougher on Chicago’s younger role players in the second unit.<\/p>\nWho Has the Edge?<\/strong><\/h3>\n