After arguably their ugliest loss of the season to the Oklahoma City Thunder 24 hours prior, the Chicago Bulls (34-42) looked relieved to see the 28-win Raptors on the other side of the ball.
Defense was mostly optional to begin the night. Jamison Battle put the Raptors on the board with a triple less than 10 seconds into the game, and the Raptors would go on to begin the night making six of their first seven shots, which included a 4-4 start from downtown. As for the Bulls, they were getting just about anything they wanted in the open floor and assisted on their first 11 field goals. Nikola Vucevic scored three straight buckets at one point, while Kevin Huerter managed to do the same. There were plenty of open looks to go around!
The two teams shot a combined 27-44 in the first quarter, and the Bulls finished the frame on a 10-0 run to take a 39-32 lead. For as much success as Toronto found early on, Matas Buzelis’ buzzer-beating triple immediately felt like it switched a flip. The Bulls would go on to tally 70 total points in the first half one evening after scoring a mere 40 points in their first half against the Thunder. Free-throw line visits were a big part of that, as they shot 12 attempts in the quarter.
Their ability to capitalize on turnovers and push the pace in transition was also a key difference-maker. The Bulls had a 17-9 advantage in fastbreak points going into the locker room. While this is typically their bread-and-butter, Toronto came into the evening right behind them for the fifth-most fastbreak points per game.
Things only looked easier for the Bulls as the game went on. As they continued to rotate through a roster full of rookies and G-Leaguers, Chicago continued to build on their lead. The team realized that as long as they kept the ball moving side to side, opportunities would open up with ease. Kevin Huerter was one of the main beneficiaries, as he started the night a perfect 7-7 from the field. And, interestingly enough, only two of those makes were from downtown. A majority of his damage was coming from wide-open cuts to the rim.
The Bulls scored 30+ points in each of their first three quarters and started the final period with 102 points already on the board. To be sure, the Toronto Raptors weren’t necessarily stunned by the Bulls’ defensive attack but rather clanking shot after shot. They went a pitiful 9-25 from the field in the third quarter, which included 13 missed shots in the paint. Meanwhile, the Bulls were feasting inside and scored a whopping 70 points in the paint on easy cuts and straight line drives. The tank was in full effect.
To be honest, I’m convinced the Bulls could have played the fourth quarter 3-on-5 and still walked away with a victory. Toronto had no interest in winning this game. Nada. Yes, I recognize they came into the evening with four straight victories, but those wins also came against the only four teams with a worse record in the Eastern Conference. So not only was it a tank-off, but the Raptors probably had to win at least a couple to keep the league office off their back. With a matchup against the 10th-seated and trying-to-win Bulls now on the calendar, however, an easy L was there for the taking.
Anyway, the Bulls officially clinched a Play-In Tournament spot with their 137-118 victory. We all knew it was coming for well over a month (really since the beginning of the season), and it will mark their third-straight appearance in the pre-playoff battle. While this one at least feels a little different since the young guys have done a lot of the heavy lifting in recent weeks, this is still a pretty frustrating and underwhelming reality.
Player Grades:
Nikola Vucevic – A
Stats: 22 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST
The Raptors had no answer for Nikola Vucevic. Running with a center rotation of Jakob Poeltl and Jonathan Mogbo, the Bulls’ guards kept setting the big man up for some easy turnaround jumpers and hook shots. He shot 9-12 from the floor and also did a great job finding cutters and spraying out to shooters.
Talen Horton-Tucker – A
Stats: 27 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST
Would you look at that! After Billy Donovan turned to THT during last night’s blowout, he called his name again with Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips stuck in street clothes. The guard looked exactly like the sparkplug the Bulls wanted him to be, bulldozing his way to the rim for a perfect 8-8 showing from the free throw line.
Coby White – A-
Stats: 28 PTS, 6 AST, 2 STL
After an ugly and short night against OKC’s defense, Coby White looked like his Player of the Month self. He torched the Raptors off the bounce and shot 10-16 from the field. Nobody could stay in front of him.
Josh Giddey – A-
Stats: 17 PTS, 12 AST, 7 REB, 3 STL
Another extremely well-rounded performance from Josh Giddey. He may not have always made the flashy pass, but he always made the right one. Toronto had no interest in playing defense, and he feasted.
Kevin Huerter – B
Stats: 16 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST
Known for his sharpshooting, Kevin Huerter did a great job constantly moving off the ball and cutting hard to the rim tonight. He was a big reason why this Raptors’ defense had such a tough time.
Zach Collins – B-
Stats: 7 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST
Similar to Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins found plenty of success against this unmotivated Raptors backcourt.
Matas Buzelis – C+
Stats: 9 PTS, 3 REB, 4 STL
While it wasn’t the most active night from Matas Buzelis offensively, it didn’t need to be. He held down the fort on the defensive end and recorded another new career high with 4 steals.
More on his recent play here!
Matas Buzelis Continues to Show Plenty of Two-Way Flashes
Box Score:
Check out the full box score here.
