The Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors were both excited about their prospects for the 2008-09 season, but neither has managed to live up to those expectations.

The Bulls look to avoid dropping four straight games for the first time this season on Friday when they host the Raptors, who are trying to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Chicago (18-25) was hoping the addition of top overall pick Derrick Rose could help the team get back on track after a disappointing 2007-08, but through 43 games, it has just one more win than last season's club had at this point.

The Bulls appeared to be getting their season turned around with a 102-98 win at Toronto (16-28) on Jan. 14 and a 102-93 overtime victory over Central Division-leading Cleveland the next day, but they haven't won since.

Chicago was again unable to hold a late lead in Tuesday's 105-102 home loss to Atlanta. The Bulls went up 94-93 after Rose's layup with 5:19 remaining, but then allowed the Hawks to reel off seven straight points.

Chicago also led San Antonio by one point with under two minutes to go Saturday before losing 92-87, and had a one-point lead at New York with less than a minute left Monday in a 102-98 defeat.

"That's pretty much the story of our season so far," said Ben Gordon, who is averaging a team-high 20.0 points. "We get close, just not very good at closing games out."

The Bulls, who have not lost four in a row since Nov. 18-25, 2007, have dropped 11 of their last 16. They're in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, two games back of eighth-place Milwaukee.

"We're still fighting for a playoff spot," Kirk Hinrich said. "That's our main focus right here. Obviously, we have to string something together here."

The Raptors also need to put together a winning streak if they want to make the playoffs for the third straight season.

Toronto, which won 41 games in 2007-08, has the second-most losses in the East and is 4 1/2 games behind the Bucks.

The Raptors, in the midst of their longest losing streak since dropping 10 in a row from March 26-April 12, 2006, fell 95-76 at Detroit on Wednesday. They've lost four straight and seven of their last eight away from the Air Canada Centre.

"We need to do a better job of fighting through adversity," coach Jay Triano said. "I don't know why, but when we get down, we seem to lose confidence and hang our heads a little."

Andrea Bargnani had 16 points and six rebounds Wednesday, his 13th straight game scoring in double figures. Bargnani, the top overall pick in 2006, finished with a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds last week against the Bulls.

Chicago's No. 1 pick also had one of the best games of his brief career in last week's meeting in Toronto, as Rose scored 25 points on 12-of-18 shooting and added 10 assists. Rose, though, is averaging 15.3 points on 36.5 percent shooting in four games since.

The Bulls have won 17 of the last 21 meetings with the Raptors, but Toronto has won twice in its last three visits to Chicago.