Five Things to Watch: Bulls return home to face struggling Raptors on CSN

Watch as the Bulls take on the Raptors tonight on CSN and streaming live on CSNChicago.com. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Bulls Pregame Live. Then stick around after the final buzzer to watch Bulls Postgame Live for highlights and analysis.

Click here to watch the game or download the NBC Sports App, your home for live streaming coverage of the Bulls.

1. Home, sweet home. Yes, the Bulls' road trip didn't go according to plan thanks to a handful of injuries. But the good news is they have returned home where they're 15-11. True, they've won just four of their last eight at the United Center, but one of those was a thrilling overtime victory over these Raptors.

2. Catching the Raptors at the right time. The Raptors are a very good basketball team, let's get that out of the way. But if there was ever a good chance to host them, it's right now. Since they were 28-13 on Jan. 17 and nipping at the Cavs' heels for first in the East, Dwane Casey's squad has gone just 4-10 and fallen back to fourth in the conference. Those losses include four of their last six, with three coming against teams currently below .500.

3. Dominance against Toronto. For as good ast the Raptors have been the last three seasons, the Bulls have absolutely had their number. Chicago has incredibly won the last 10 meetings against Toronto, with the Raptors last topping the Bulls on Dec. 31, 2013! One has to wonder if there's some sort of mental block going on at this point with Toronto, but for whatever reason the Bulls have owned this matchup. Will it continue Tuesday?

4. Jimmy Butler's fellow All-Star starter. DeMar DeRozan is back after missing seven of eight games, and he's gotten back to his usual stellar scoring ways. In three games since returning he's averaging 29.0 points on 49 percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He's showed no rust, playing nearly 38 minutes per night in those games. He'll need to do the same against Jimmy Butler if the Bulls' All-Star plays.

5. Will trade talks bother the Bulls? Reports surfaced on Monday night that the Bulls were reportedly shopping Doug McDermott and Robin Lopez in exchange for a first-round pick. This comes after Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson trade rumors, and one has to wonder how much this will start affecting the team with just 10 days until the deadline. Of note, the Raptors are one team that make plenty of sense as a destination for Gibson.