VanVleet, Raptors lock in on Bulls for win-or-go-home play-in game

It's almost a luxury for Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors to have several days to prepare for just one opponent.

VanVleet and his teammates are spending two days at the OVO Centre, the Raptors practice facility, strategizing as Toronto gets ready to host the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference's play-in tournament on Wednesday. The winner of that game will go on to face either the Miami Heat or the Atlanta Hawks on Friday in the second round of the bracket.

"I think it should bode well for us to just be able to lock in on one thing," said VanVleet, with a towel still draped over his head following practice on Monday. "We have a couple of days to let the coaches come up with the schemes and the game plans, and we just try to go out and execute the best we can.

VanVleet, who led the Raptors with 7.2 assists per game and was second in scoring with 19.3 points per game, said that the days off before hosting Chicago plays to Toronto's strengths.

"I think our coaching staff is one of the tops in the league in terms of preparation and game planning and finding different things and having adjustments ready on the fly," said VanVleet. "You've got to give them a ton of credit for that.

"It's up to us to go out there and try to execute the best we can. I'm looking forward to it."

The play-in tournaments follow a Page playoff format, much like curling.

No. 7 Miami hosts eighth-place Atlanta on Tuesday, with the winner officially becoming the seventh seed in the East's playoffs.

THE BRACKET IS SET