Rose, Gibson expected to play Monday against Raptors

Derrick Rose (illness) and Taj Gibson (right ankle) are expected to play Monday night against the Raptors, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said at shoot around Monday morning.

Both players went through shoot around.

Rose has missed the last two games, which snapped a streak of 11 straight games played for the point guard. Gibson has also missed the Bulls’ last two games.

Their return comes at a perfect time for the Bulls as they ready to take on Eastern Conference-leading Toronto. The Raptors rank second in the league in scoring at 107.8 points per game and have scored less than 100 only five times this season. The Raptors will be without star guard DeMar DeRozan who injured his groin on Nov. 28.

Still, Thibodeau says that the Raptors’ relative health has helped them develop continuity.

“When you look at the majority of their team, they’ve played in almost all their games and that’s how you build continuity,” he said. “But they’ve gotten off to a great start. They’re a well-balanced team.”

Email: sgruen@suntimes.com

Twitter: @SethGruen