For the first time that he can remember in his NBA career, Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey finished a game with a “DNP — coach’s decision” next to his name in the box score. The guard did not play in Thursday’s 110-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors at the United Center despite not being liste d on the injury report. Acting coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Ivey’s absence was purely a basketball decision, but the guard alluded to lingering knee soreness as a partial cause for the healthy scratch. Ivey said he is still practicing fully despite the injury and believes he is fully available to play. “I’m sure people can call it out that I’m not the same player as I used to be,” Ivey, 24, said. “That’s why. I’m not the JI I used to be. But the old JI is dead. I’m alive in Christ. … No matter how many DNP’s I don’t get to play or no matter how many points I score, those things are a temporary thing.” Photos: Toronto Raptors 110, Chicago Bulls 101 This could be a new status quo for the Bulls, whose roster includes six guards. Unseld spoke with the team at shootaround Thursday morning to address the reality that players might see a reduction in their minutes as the team attempts to figure out healthy rotations. The decision was made in conjunction with coach Billy Donovan, who was not with the team following the death of his father. But Ivey said he was not informed heading into the game that he would not play at all against the Raptors. “Obviously going into it you’ve got to look at who’s on the roster,” Ivey said. “This team has a lot of guards, so going into it I’m kind of just thrown in. I do my job to the glory of God so I’m ready for whenever my name is called. Whenever (the) coach needs me, calls my name, I’ll be out there to play. Getting traded, that’s what happens in the NBA. You get traded, the organization figures out what the team needs and they make their adjustments.” Sixteen days ago, Ivey was logging 16.8 minutes per game for the best team in the East. The Bulls traded for him with the intention of investing in his future as a young playmaker. And Ivey had been decently productive in his first four games with the Bulls, averaging 11.5 points and four assists. He joked about his hefty workload after playing 33 minutes in his debut against the Raptors on Feb. 5 and averaged 28.8 minutes for the Bulls before the All-Star break. As a restricted free agent this summer, Ivey is not guaranteed to return to Chicago for the 2026-27 season. But the Bulls have been publicly insistent that they plan to test out every player they acquired at the deadline as a potential option to be re-signed in the offseason. Ivey shied away from expressing how Thursday’s game — or further lack of playing time — could affect his feelings toward the Bulls in free agency, repeatedly turning to his faith as a guiding post among uncertainty on the court. “I don’t really trust the NBA setting,” Ivey said. “I trust the Lord. That’s the main thing. He places me where I need to be. … When moves are made behind the scenes of trades and stuff, I don’t trust that part. You can’t trust it, because it’s not in your hands. It’s not in my hands to make moves or trade myself or put myself in a certain position. I leave that up to the Lord.” Who are the 7 new Chicago Bulls? Meet Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons and the rest of the deadline additions. Thursday marked a season-high-tying seventh consecutive loss in their first game back from the All-Star break. Despite forcing a clutch finish with a 7-0 run in the final stretch of the fourth quarter, the Bulls couldn’t fend off a 31-point game from Brandon Ingram, who knocked down a dagger 3-pointer with 35.5 seconds remaining. The Bulls have lost 10 of their last 11 games, a result directly tied to their decision to dump the majority of their players on expiring contracts at the trade deadline. And the schedule will only get harder this weekend when the Bulls host a home back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks. Here are three more takeaways from the loss. 1. Unseld fills in. Bulls forward Guerschon Yabusele listens to acting oach Wes Unseld Jr. in the first half against the Raptors on Feb. 19, 2026, at the United Center. Unseld was filling in for Billy Donovan, who was away from the team because of the death of his father. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune) Unseld helmed the Bulls for the game in the stead of coach Billy Donovan, who was away from the team to spend time with his family after the death of his father, Bill Donovan Sr. The elder Donovan died Saturday at age 85. He was a member of the Boston College Hall of Fame after captaining the team and graduating in 1962 as the program’s third-leading scorer. Donovan Jr. is expected to return Friday to Chicago and could resume his coaching duties for this weekend’s back-to-back. 2. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones return. Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) drives for a layup against Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili in the second half on Feb. 19, 2026, at the United Center. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune) The Bulls returned to a vague semblance of their former selves with guards Giddey and Jones back on the court. The pair had been sidelined for a considerable stretch of the season (19 games for Giddey, 11 for Jones) before the All-Star break with hamstring injuries. Jalen Smith also returned to the lineup after missing five of the last seven games before the break with a calf injury. Although his absence was less extensive, it had a bigger impact because of his status as the only remaining center on the roster from before the trade deadline. Unseld was cagey about the playing-time restrictions for all three players, declining to share details about any of their medical limits during his pregame news conference. Giddey played 21 minutes, 25 seconds and Jones 21:51 while Smith logged 24:20. Both guards failed to score in the first half. Jones warmed into his offense in the third quarter and finished with 12 points, but Smith and Giddey struggled to connect on their shots. Smith finished with nine points on 2-for-6 shooting while Giddey scored five points on 1-for-7 shooting. Giddey added five assists while committing four turnovers. 3. Deadline awkwardness persists. The Bulls still aren’t playing cohesive basketball. In fact, it’s unclear whether they’ll be able to accomplish that feat — piecing together a collective identity out of a haphazard puzzle of misfit deadline acquisitions — before the regular season ends. Against the Raptors, that translated into sloppy basketball. The first quarter took 35 minutes to be completed as both teams combined for nine fouls and 13 turnovers. Collin Sexton turned the ball over three times in that span, including an eight-second violation when he failed to advance the ball past half-court. The Bulls gave up 28 points off 20 turnovers for the game. Matas Buzelis once again receded in a loss, scoring only four points in nearly 31:20 before getting pulled from the closing lineup. Anfernee Simons (20 points) and Isaac Okoro (16) combined for nearly one-third of the team’s scoring, but neither player looked comfortable in their respective rotations. ...read more read less