(My Sportsbook) - The
Toronto Raptors hope to snap a season-high seven-game skid Friday, when they arrive in the Second City to face the
Chicago Bulls.
The Raptors fell to 0-2 on a three-game road trip on Wednesday, when Detroit's Tayshaun Prince finished with a game-high 25 points and the Pistons routed Toronto, 95-76.
Chris Bosh had 19 points and five rebounds to pace Toronto, which also has previously lost five in a row at two separate stages this season and fell to a dismal 8-16 as the visitor this year. The Raptors' current losing streak is their longest since dropping 10 in a row from March 26-April 12, 2006.
Andrea Bargnani had 16 points and six boards against Detroit, while Jermaine O'Neal, who had missed two straight games and 11 of the team's last 12 contests with a sore right knee, scored 11.
Toronto hopes to get a lift from the return of point guard Jose Calderon tonight. Calderon has missed the majority of the past 12 games with a strained right hamstring and is probable for the game.
The Bulls, meanwhile, dropped their third game in a row in the opener of a quick two-game homestand on Tuesday. Atlanta's Mike Bibby picked Ben Gordon's pocket and hit a game-clinching jumper with 18.9 seconds left, all part of a 31-point, six-assist, five-steal effort that helped the Hawks down Chicago, 105-102, at United Center.
Gordon led Chicago with 21 points, Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich contributed off the bench with 15 and 13 points, respectively, and rookie star Derrick Rose added 13 points and four assists.
Forward Drew Gooden (groin) missed the contest for Chicago and is listed as questionable for tonight.
The Bulls, who are 13-9 at home this season, have won two straight over the Raptors, including a 102-98 triumph in Toronto earlier this month.
Chicago has not lost four in a row all season.