white1.png)
Chicago Bulls Season Opener: Raptors Rout Bulls 135-92 in Caleb Wilson's NBA Debut
The Chicago Bulls season opener turned into a hard lesson on Wednesday night. The Toronto Raptors built a 43-23 first-quarter lead and cruised to a 135-92 victory at Scotiabank Arena, sending Chicago to 0-1 in the first game of the Tiago Splitter era, according to Bleacher Report's game page. Rookie Caleb Wilson's NBA debut supplied the brightest moments, but a short-handed frontcourt and a pile of turnovers left the Bulls chasing from the opening minutes.
One game does not define a rebuild, and Chicago entered as a clear underdog. Bleacher Nation reported the Bulls were 9.5-point road underdogs at DraftKings Sportsbook. Even so, the shape of this loss offers early clues about what a young roster must clean up. Note: this recap is based on published box-score data and reporting. Remix Sports Media did not attend the game.
Chicago Bulls Season Opener: How Toronto Pulled Away
The Bulls never won a quarter. Based on Bleacher Report's scoring summary, Toronto outscored Chicago 43-23 in the first, 26-21 in the second, 34-27 in the third and 32-21 in the fourth. The Raptors led 69-44 at halftime, and the second half only widened the gap.
Bleacher Nation's pregame preview projected a Bulls starting group of Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Wilson and Jalen Smith. Toronto's projected five was Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl, with Leonard making his first appearance back as a Raptor. That homecoming added extra energy for the home crowd.
Quickley described the challenge of Toronto's wing defense, as shared by reporter Michael Grange: "especially if they're switching, it's like you get done going against Scotty, then you got to go against Kawhi, it's like bro, you just gotta pass it." Analysis: that length is exactly what Chicago's perimeter players will face against the East's better teams.
Caleb Wilson's Debut: Highlights and Hard Lessons
Wilson, the No. 4 overall pick, finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three steals, according to the Bulls' official debut post as shown on Bleacher Report. The game's highlight reel included several of his finishes, among them a putback slam of his own miss and cuts to the rim.
The flip side was ball security. K.C. Johnson of CHSN reported that Wilson committed nine turnovers. Johnson also relayed Splitter's explanation: the rookie was playing too much in crowds and not passing when two or three defenders were around him, and Toronto's physical defense is built to turn opponents over.
Analysis: it is the kind of problem a development-first coach can live with, because it is about reads rather than talent. Wilson told the Chicago Tribune during preseason, "I expect there to be mistakes and I should give myself grace to play." The more important question is whether this becomes a pattern. On Tap Sports Net noted he had five turnovers against Denver and four against Milwaukee in the preseason before a cleaner two-turnover finale against Minnesota. Decision-making against crowded paint is the storyline to track.
A Short-Handed Frontcourt Raised the Degree of Difficulty
Chicago's pregame injury report, as published by Bleacher Nation, listed Nic Claxton out with a hamstring injury, Dailyn Swain and Jordan Hawkins out with illness, and Leonard Miller (groin), Isaac Okoro (knee), Zach Collins (toe) and Tobe Awaka (knee) as questionable. Bleacher Nation noted that Smith was the only other big man not on the injury list. We have not confirmed which questionable players ultimately played, so check the official box score on NBA.com for the final availability picture.
Analysis: Splitter wants this team to run, rebound and share the ball. The Chicago Tribune's preseason takeaways described a rotation built to go 11 deep, but depth is hard to use when bigs are unavailable. Chicago Bulls On SI publisher Elias Schuster said the Bulls' path to an upset would run through winning the possession battle with offensive rebounding and ball movement. Nine turnovers from one player and a thin front line pull in the opposite direction.
What to Take From the Opener and What to Ignore
Ignore the margin: Toronto is a contender in the East, per Bleacher Nation, and Chicago was missing its projected starting center.
Watch Wilson's turnovers: nine is too many, but the preseason numbers show he has been improving his decision-making in spurts.
Watch frontcourt health: Claxton's hamstring and the status of Collins and Awaka will shape how Splitter builds lineups.
Watch the identity: the Bulls want pace, rebounding and ball movement, and the next few games will show whether that is sustainable.
What's Next for the Bulls
Chicago does not have long to respond. Based on the schedule listed by SI and Bulls.com's Sam Smith, the next four games are:
Friday, Oct. 23: at the Milwaukee Bucks
Saturday, Oct. 24: home opener vs. the Washington Wizards at the United Center
Monday, Oct. 26: at the Boston Celtics
Wednesday, Oct. 28: vs. the New York Knicks at the United Center
That Knicks matchup brings a defending champion to Chicago. For more on New York and the league's biggest storylines, read our 2026-27 NBA season preview, and for the full opening-week picture see our NBA opening night preview.
Follow Remix Sports Media for continued Chicago Bulls and NBA coverage all season. And if you are a Chicago photographer who wants to help tell the Bulls' story, see our call for Chicago photographers.
Comments