Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Fear not, Bulls have harder schedule…and injuries

Comparing the schedule of the Raptors and Bulls, we notice that the Bulls play two more games against teams over .500.

If the goal is to make the playoffs, then nobody should be worried. It’s going to be tough for us to catch Milwaukee, Miami or Charlotte (Chuck Swirsky feels the pain) given their fine forms (overall 15 straight wins, Miami 3-0, Charlotte 6-0, Milwaukee 6-0), but Chicago is another mater. The Bulls have bettered the Raptors 5 straight losses by losing 7 straight of their own. The Raptors have lost 9 of 10 but still manage to be one game ahead of Chicago in the loss column which is really what matters.

Comparing the schedule of the Raptors and Bulls, we notice that the Bulls play two more games against teams over .500. The road/home games are even with both teams having 17 games to play. The Raptors have no major injuries while the Bulls have Joakim Noah out indefinitely and have injuries to Derrick Rose and Loul Deng, both questionable for their game against Memphis.

According to the Hollinger Playoff Odds, the Raptors have a 63.2% chance of making it to the playoffs; the Bulls are at 39.4%. All teams below them are at 0%.

The question isn’t whether we’ll make the playoffs, it’s if making the playoffs is even worth it given the way we’re playing. A pessimist might say that all it’ll do is give Miami a lottery pick; an optimist could argue that if we sneak in as the 8th seed and face Cleveland, who we’ve played fairly tough, anything could happen. A realist would bet on a nice and quick first-round exit with the only good thing coming from it being two home playoff dates.

TorontoChicago
Wed, Mar 17Atlanta
Fri, Mar 19Oklahoma City
Sat, Mar 20@ New Jersey
Mon, Mar 22@ Minnesota
Wed, Mar 24Utah
Fri, Mar 26Denver
Sun, Mar 28@ Miami
Mon, Mar 29@ Charlotte
Wed, Mar 31LA Clippers
Sat, Apr 3@ Philadelphia
Sun, Apr 4Golden State
Tue, Apr 6@ Cleveland
Wed, Apr 7Boston
Fri, Apr 9@ Atlanta
Sun, Apr 11Chicago
Mon, Apr 12@ Detroit
Wed, Apr 14NY Knicks

Schedule notes:

  • Games remaining: 17
  • Home games: 9
  • Road games: 8
  • Back-to-Backs: 5
  • Vs. Teams over .500: 9
  • Vs. Teams under .500: 8

Injuries:

  • No injuries

Hollinger Playoff Odds: 63.2%

Tue, Mar 16@ Memphis
Wed, Mar 17@ Dallas
Fri, Mar 19Cleveland
Sat, Mar 20@ Philadelphia
Mon, Mar 22Houston
Thu, Mar 25Miami
Sat, Mar 27New Jersey
Sun, Mar 28@ Detroit
Tue, Mar 30Phoenix
Fri, Apr 2@ Washington
Sat, Apr 3Charlotte
Tue, Apr 6Milwaukee
Thu, Apr 8Cleveland
Fri, Apr 9@ New Jersey
Sun, Apr 11@ Toronto
Tue, Apr 13Boston
Wed, Apr 14@ Charlotte

Schedule notes:

  • Games remaining: 17
  • Home Games: 9
  • Road Games: 8
  • Back-to-Backs: 5
  • Vs. Teams over .500: 11
  • Vs. Teams under .500: 6

Injuries:

  • Luol Deng: strained right calf, is doubtful for Tuesday’s game against Memphis
  • Joakim Noah: plantar fasciitis in left foot, is out indefinitely
  • Derrick Rose: sprained left wrist, is questionable for Tuesday’s game against Memphis
  • Jerome James: right Achilles surgery, is out indefinitely

Hollinger Playoff Odds: 39.4%

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