Raptors vs. Bulls Monday NBA injury report, spread, odds: Patrick Williams back for Chicago; Fred VanVleet questionable for Toronto

The Chicago Bulls have not been playing well for a few weeks, dropping to fifth in the East and now far from a sure thing to avoid the conference's play-in tournament. One clear issue with the Bulls has been defense but that should improve greatly Monday with the return of athletic second-year forward Patrick Williams from a long-term injury. Chicago hosts Toronto, which is in the second of a back-to-back and might again be without All-Star Fred VanVleet. The Bulls are -4 at Caesars Sportsbooks.

The 20-year-old Williams, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NBA draft out of Florida State, has not played since Oct. 28. He averaged 6.6 points on 56.5 percent shooting and 2.2 rebounds in five games before he tore his wrist ligaments falling on a flagrant foul by the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson. The Bulls don't need Williams to score, they need his energy and defensive prowess. The team is plus +3.8 per 100 possessions when he's on the court this year.

Last season when the Bulls faced the Lakers, LeBron James was effusive of Williams after: "I think he's going to be an exceptional talent. Long arms. He has Kawhi-type hands that I noticed out on the floor, so I knew I couldn't play with the ball much. And you could tell that he's just laser sharp on trying to get better and better."

Chicago is 4-1 this season with Williams in the lineup, but the Bulls also had starting point guard Lonzo Ball then and he's still out with knee issues. He had surgery about seven weeks ago but is still dealing with discomfort and hasn't gone full speed yet. Ball had surgery on the same knee back in 2018. It's starting to feel like a long shot that he will return this season at all.

This game is potentially huge for the Raptors as they try to avoid the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. They are currently in seventh, one game behind No. 6 Cleveland. VanVleet, the team's leading scorer (21.1 ppg) and assist man (6.7 apg) missed Sunday's 93-88 upset win in Philadelphia with "right knee injury management." Could be that the team held him out in Philly so he could play tonight. VanVleet is from nearby Rockford, so you know he'd like to play in the Windy City. Toronto remains without starting forward OG Anunoby (finger).

This concludes the season series between the teams. The Bulls lead 2-1 so if they win here, it would be a potentially big tiebreaker regarding the play-in tournament. 

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