CHICAGO—The Chicago Bulls are hurt, scuffling and not close to their usual selves. To take them lightly might be human nature.
That’s precisely what Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey is warning against.
“They’re still a great defensive team, they still have Derrick Rose, they still have Pau Gasol . . . we have to be ready to match their intensity for 48 minutes,” Casey said after the Raptors held their game-day shootaround at the United Center.
The Bulls are banged up, missing all-star swingman Jimmy Butler, forward Nikola Mirotic and centre Joakim Noah. They have lost a season-high five games — they were beaten in Cleveland on Thursday — and are clinging to a final Eastern Conference playoff spot.