It was close to lunacy to schedule the lone Raptors home pre-season game for about 48 hours after the team returned from two games halfway around the world in Japan.
And given the load management times in which we live, it seems the team’s medical staff thought the same thing.
Six of Toronto’s top seven players and its most seasoned veterans — Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, Norm Powell and Pascal Siakam — sat out what turned into a 105-91 pasting handed out by the Chicago Bulls at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.
OG Anunoby was the only one of the presumptive top seven to play in the game, going 5-for-9 from the field with a team-high 15 points in 27 minutes.