The Chicago Bulls opened their regular season with a resounding thud on Wednesday night, suffering a 135-92 blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors that marked the worst opening-night defeat in franchise history.
From the opening tip, the evening underscored the harsh realities facing a rebuilding roster. Just 90 seconds into the contest, the Bulls found themselves in a 7-0 hole following a missed floater by Norman Powell, an errant pass by Josh Giddey, and a welcome-to-the-league moment for rookie Caleb Wilson, who was stripped of the ball by Kawhi Leonard, a player he idolized growing up.
The early deficit prompted newly appointed head coach Tiago Splitter to burn an early timeout in an effort to steady his young squad. However, the stoppage served as only a temporary lifeline as the Raptors methodically pulled away, pushing the margin into the 30s for most of the contest and building a lead as large as 48 points.
What was billed as the start of an optimistic new era featuring the high-flying fourth overall pick Wilson, fresh front-office leadership, and Splitter’s arrival quickly resembled a demolition site. The matchup showcased an experienced, physical Eastern Conference contender against a young Chicago team widely projected to battle to stay out of the league’s basement. Splitter admitted concerns about the roster-wide matchup prior to tip-off, particularly on the defensive end against a veteran frontcourt pairing of Leonard and Scottie Barnes.
“The way we competed,” Splitter said regarding what bothered him most about the team’s sluggish start. “After a turnover, getting our heads down when running back, that’s something we cannot accept. Talked to them at halftime, after the game, we gotta be better.
Offensively and defensively, the numbers painted a grim picture for the visitors. The Bulls finished the night shooting just 27-of-85 from the field, good for 32 percent, and converted only 4-of-36 attempts from beyond the arc for an 11 percent clip. Meanwhile, Toronto shot 44-of-98 at a 45 percent rate and capitalized on 27 Chicago turnovers.
Wilson endured a difficult professional debut. While finishing with 16 points, the rookie struggled through a 7-of-21 shooting performance, committed nine turnovers, and finished the game with a minus-45 plus/minus rating.
“Obviously it was a bad night for Caleb,” Splitter said. “We’re going to grow from this, learn from this. He was playing too much in crowds, not passing the ball when he had two, three guys on him, so we’re going to watch film and get better.”
Reflecting on his baptism by fire, Wilson acknowledged that the speed and physicality of regular-season NBA competition served as an immediate teacher.
“I just got to figure it out,” Wilson said. “That’s the great thing about the NBA is we play 82 games, so able to watch film, my coaches tell me things I can do better, so it’s about going out there and doing it. Film is a great way to see where you should be and could be, but you just got to go out there and do it.”
The team remained in Toronto to hold a practice session on Thursday, aiming to correct fundamental errors before traveling to face the Milwaukee Bucks in an afternoon matchup on Friday. When asked if he harbored concerns about his young team slipping into poor habits following the lopsided loss, Splitter offered a direct assessment.
“Yes, I’m worried about that,” Splitter said. “We got to get better.”
