Chicago Bulls Suffer Worst Season-Opening Loss in Franchise History

The Chicago Bulls are the second-youngest team in the NBA, and their inexperience showed on Wednesday night.

In their season opener against the Toronto Raptors, the Bulls committed a whopping 27 turnovers and were outscored in transition, 34-13. Mistakes piled up as the Raptors dominated the Bulls by the score of 135-92.

The 43-point margin is the worst opening-night loss in franchise history. It also came just five points shy of the worst season-opening loss in league history.

Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 17 points, which largely came from the charity stripe. The 22-year-old forward attempted a career-high 16 free throws and made 13 shots from the line. He also added six rebounds and two blocks.

No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson had an up-and-down performance during his NBA debut. The former North Carolina star finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three steals and a block. However, Wilson was also responsible for nine turnovers and committed four personal fouls.

Norman Powell and Jalen Smith each chipped in 15 points. Josh Giddey scored just two points on 1-of-10 shooting and recorded five turnovers, but he also finished with seven rebounds and six assists.

For Toronto, Scottie Barnes (23 points), Kawhi Leonard (23), Immanuel Quickley (23) and R.J. Barrett (20) led the way. Leonard also grabbed four steals.

Chicago made just 31.8% of its shots and was 4-of-36 from three.

The Raptors raced out to an early 7-0 lead as the Bulls struggled with turnovers. Chicago's early struggles forced new head coach Tiago Splitter to call a timeout just 79 seconds into the game.

Smith scored the first eight points for the Bulls, and the rest of the lineup took some time to find its groove. Wilson earned his first basket as an NBA player on a fastbreak, full-extension layup.

The game then turned into a display of three-point shot-making. Barnes and Ja'Kobe Walter knocked down back-to-back triples before Wilson finally gave the Bulls an answer from deep. Quickley added the Raptors' sixth three-pointer and Toronto eventually ended the first quarter with a 43-23 lead.

Chicago's second quarter was much improved from a defensive standpoint, but the Bulls couldn't cut into the deficit. Powell's ability to get to the free throw line nearly single-handedly kept the Bulls' offense afloat.

Through one half, the Bulls trailed the Raptors, 69-44. Chicago's issues were plentiful across the board, starting with an 11-2 turnover margin. Splitter's group shot just 29.5% from the field, was 2-of-19 from three-point range and made 16 of 23 free throw attempts.

Toronto opened its advantage up to 39 points in the third, despite the efforts of Tre Jones. The Bulls' veteran point guard made four of his five shots for 10 points to lead the way off the bench. He ended the game with 13 points.

Rookie two-way players Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka scored their first baskets for the Bulls on back-to-back possessions and brought energy to the floor. Awaka grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds to continue a possession before finding Giddey on a cut for a layup. Giddey's first make of the game cut Toronto's lead to 103-71 at the end of the third quarter.

Even as the score grew increasingly out of hand, the Bulls continued to battle. Wilson had Chicago's highlight of the night, when he sliced through the lane and threw down a two-handed dunk.

Awaka finished with six offensive rebounds in 14 minutes of play.

Chicago will continue its road trip to start the season on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. CT.