The Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls are playing live on the NBA schedule on Monday night and the matchup from the United Center starts at 8 pm ET and has two of the top teams in the east facing off with Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler battling with Kyle Lowry and the best team in the eastern conference.
The matchup has the Bulls coming in after an impressive win against the Grizzlies and they now are in first place in their division heading into this week. The Bulls come in scoring over 100 points per game and they have gotten some fantastic play from Jimmy Butler this year, as he is leading the team in scoring and minutes played. The team has the Wizards after Raptors and Grizzlies on the schedule and that means playing three of the best teams in the league all in a row.
This is a great test for the Bulls, as they are dealing with some injuries and are looking to get things locked in heading into the 2015 part of the schedule. The Cavaliers are lurking and they will be a force by the end of the season in the division and now the Bulls are 17-9 and looking to keep things in the right direction. Butler led the team with 31 points in the game against Memphis, while Joakim Noah was tops with 13 rebounds while battling with Marc Gasol.
The Bulls come into the game ranked in the top half of the league in scoring, defense and assists per game and they are in the top 10 in rebounds per game. Butler has been playing very well and he has been the reason why the injuries to Derrick Rose have not hurt the team all that much. Butler had over 30 points for the second straight game in the win against Memphis and that game was won without two of the most important players for the team in Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson. Butler is leading the team with 21 points per game and he could be in line for most improved player with how he has performed this season.
The Raptors come into the game after a win against the Knicks and they will continue their road trip against the Clippers next. The team is 22-6 on the season and first in the Atlantic and they have been playing very well overall. The team has Lowry playing at a very high level and he has helped the team rank second in points per game this season. The Raptors have made smart moves and now they are poised to win the division for the second straight season.
Lowry is leading the team in scoring and has the Raptors with the best record in the east. This is the first time the team has won this many games before December 25 and they expect to keep things going into the playoffs. The team now faces off against Chicago and this will be a big road trip for the Raptors as they move forward this year.
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