Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors | Season Opener | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto | CHSN, Sportsnet
The preseason is over, and so is my streak of pretending it matters. Friday’s finale was a 133-116 Bulls win over a Minnesota team that rested its main players, and I had picked the Wolves, 118-113. I had the roster logic right and the result wrong.
Now the games count. Chicago opens at Scotiabank Arena against a Toronto team that finished 46-36 last year, has Kawhi Leonard back on the roster, and is a heavy favorite. My Bulls have a rookie lottery pick, a new coach and a banged-up frontcourt. Let’s see what we have.
Game Info: Bulls at Raptors
- Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
- Tip-off: 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET (season opener for both teams)
- Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
- TV: CHSN and the CHSN app in Chicago; Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ in Canada
- Odds: Raptors favored by 8.5 to 9.5 points depending on the book and the day, with a total of 235.5 to 236.5
- Last season: Bulls 31-51, 12th in the East. Raptors 46-36, fifth in the East, lost to Cleveland in seven games in round one. Toronto swept all three meetings last season, though both rosters have changed a lot
- Preseason: Bulls 3-2, Raptors 2-3
The Bulls’ Injury Report
- Nic Claxton (hamstring) is expected to miss the opener. He was hurt in practice in early October, and Tiago Splitter said he is “ramping up basketball activities” but also called it “a very dangerous injury.”
- Zach Collins (quad) is expected back soon. Splitter said he is “supposed to be 100%” and was in practice, but he missed the finale.
- Tobe Awaka and Isaac Okoro both missed Friday with knee injuries, and I haven’t seen a return timeline. One preview listed Okoro and others as questionable, so check the final injury report.
Jalen Smith started at center in Milwaukee and is probably the guy again. The roster is also one player short of a full 15.
What Splitter Is Trying to Build
Splitter wants to play fast, rebound better, protect the ball more and move the ball side to side, saying it “cannot stick.” He expects a nine- or ten-man rotation. He also warned that the regular season will be “a different game.”
The starting five from the Milwaukee game was Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Smith, with Buddy Hield, Tre Jones and Leonard Miller as the first reserves. Miller led the team in preseason scoring at 17.5 points per game and is being considered for more minutes.
Powell played for the 2019 championship Raptors, which makes this a homecoming of sorts.
The Raptors: Kawhi Is Back, and Toronto Has Real Expectations
Toronto brings back the pieces from last year’s 46-win team and adds Kawhi Leonard for his first game with the Raptors since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals. Leonard made second team All-NBA last season. Expect Toronto to manage his minutes.
The depth chart reads like this: Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett in the backcourt, Leonard and Scottie Barnes at forward, and Jakob Poeltl at center. Collin Murray-Boyles, Allen Graves, Kyle Anderson and Trayce Jackson-Davis are the next men up. Nate Bittle, on a two-way contract, is Toronto’s only injury I found.
Sports Mole’s preview predicted Raptors 124, Bulls 112.
The Matchups That Matter
Wilson against Toronto’s forwards. The No. 4 pick makes his NBA debut. Toronto will probably show him lots of length with Barnes and Leonard. Wilson had a quiet game in Milwaukee (10 points on 4-of-11 with four turnovers) and a better one against the Wolves (16 points and seven rebounds).
Smith and the Bulls’ bigs against Poeltl. Without Claxton, Chicago is thin on the glass. Splitter has listed rebounding as a priority, and SI’s Raptors preview says Poeltl needs to dominate the boards.
Pace. The Bulls want to run, and last year’s Raptors allowed 111.8 points per game. If Giddey and Jones can get the ball up the floor, that’s Chicago’s best path to a close game.
Powell, Hield and the threes. The Bulls hit 20 of 50 from deep in Milwaukee and went 1-of-17 in the first half against Minnesota. That kind of swing is the difference between a game and a blowout.
Ball security. Splitter’s list includes turnovers. Turnovers were four of Wilson’s night in Milwaukee, and they’ll be costly in Toronto too.
What Actually Decides It
The line says Toronto by about nine, and I understand why. The Raptors have more talent, they’re at home and their stars are healthy. Chicago’s front line is a mess.
But openers are strange, especially when one team has a new coach and a rookie in the starting five. The Bulls can keep this within the number if they hit threes, take care of the ball and rebound well enough. I don’t expect them to win, but I’ll be watching Wilson, Buzelis and the pace more than the score.
My Final Score Prediction: Toronto Raptors 116, Chicago Bulls 109
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