Bulls to miss key opponents during tough stretch
The Bulls will play four games in five nights this week, and 10 games in 15 days through Jan. 18.
They will miss a couple of key opponents, though. Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala will sit out five games to rest Achilles tendinitis, including a meeting with the Bulls on Friday.
Boston's Kevin Garnett, meanwhile, suffered a calf injury at Detroit on Dec. 29 and is expected to be out two weeks, which would make him unavailable for Saturday's contest at the United Center.
Celtics guard Rajon Rondo returned Sunday from seven games off with a sprained ankle. The Bulls lost twice at Boston early in the season when the Celtics “Big Four” were intact.
The Bulls are expected to be without center Joakim Noah (right thumb) until the all-star break.
Opponents deserve respect:
Not surprisingly, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau provided a reason not to take any team for granted. The Bulls are in the midst of a stretch where 16 of 18 opponents have losing records.
“When you really study what's going on in the league, usually when a team's going through a tough stretch, it's a combination of injury and schedule,” he said Monday at the Berto Center.
“Sometimes you're playing a team that may not have a great record, but they're much better than their record indicates.
“All of the sudden, they start to get their players back, the schedule changes a little bit. I think it's important to respect every opponent you face. I think you're capable of beating anybody and you're capable of losing to anybody.”
Raptors streak tenuous:
Toronto owns a streak of 975 consecutive games making at least one 3-point basket. The Raptors barely kept it alive Sunday in a home loss to Boston, making just 1 of 14 attempts from long range.
The streak has survived all season, even though Toronto ranks last in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 31.8 percent.
Raptors leading scorer Andrea Bargnani is expected to play against the Bulls after missing the last four games with a calf injury, which should help the chances for a made 3-pointer.
Painful memories:
When the Bulls won at Toronto 110-93 on Dec. 15, it was the last game Joakim Noah played before having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.
Derrick Rose was quiet that night but played after taking a hard fall against Indiana two days earlier. Carlos Boozer scored 34 points to pace an easy win.