Bulls extend hex over Raptors
CHICAGO • One of the likeliest first-round opponents for the Raptors right now is the Chicago Bulls.
That would be a very bad thing for Toronto — a franchise that struggles more against the Bulls than with any other opponent — with Friday providing the latest example, a disheartening 116-106 loss against a depleted opponent.
The Bulls mixed a lethal outside attack and a rejuvenated Derrick Rose to hand Toronto its second loss in a row. Doug McDermott scored a career-best 30 points, Rose added 26 and Pau Gasol came an assist shy of a triple- double ( 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists).
Despite a huge start and a spirited fourth quarter comeback on Friday at the United Center, the Raptors again crumbled, getting torched time and again by one of the NBA’s weakest offences — one missing top scorer Jimmy Butler no less.
It was Chicago’s eighth win in a row against the Raptors and third-straight comeback victory this season.
Big games from Kyle Lowry ( 27 points), Jonas Valanciunas (looking like a superstar early on the way to 25 points and 12 rebounds) and fine work off the bench by Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson couldn’t make up for the defensive letdown.
No Butler, Joakim Noah or Nikola Mirotic for the Bulls? No problem.
Five straight home losses and just five wins in 16 games heading in? Again, no problem. For whatever reason, this is a one- sided matchup.
“Bulls, t hey’ve always been a tough opponent for us, home or away,” Patterson said before the game.
“It just seems like they’ve always had our number. We’ve played hard, we’ve fought hard, I don’t feel like any game we gave up, they just came out on top.” Rinse and repeat. Raptors coach Dwane Casey had been worried about rust following a long all- star break, but his charges actually played very well to start, building a 35-24 lead after a quarter.
That was the high point. Chicago’s offence caught fire against the flat-footed Toronto defenders in the second, before going supernova in the third. A 37-23 Bulls edge in that quarter opened up an eight- point lead, Chicago’s biggest of the game at that point. The bulge stretched to 12 before the Raptors showed some fight to creep within a bucket.
The perimeter defence, chiefly by DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross, was horrible. Toronto struggles to guard three- point shooters ( 26th in the NBA heading in) and allowed the Bulls, mostly McDermott, who hit 4- of- 5, to launch open treys all evening.
After starting off with three straight makes from three- point range, Toronto went just 2-for-15 from there. The Bulls hit 7-of-16.
Chicago didn’t re-take the lead until midway through the third — off a McDermott bucket, of course — and the Bulls kept coming, before Joseph and Patterson spurred an ultimately fruitless rally attempt.
Earlier this season, Toronto had impressed early on at the United Center, building a comfortable lead before the Bulls stormed back to easily win.
They also watched Butler go off for a Bulls two quarter scoring record in another comeback that had looked like it was going to be an easy Raptors win. But against the Bulls, nothing is easy for Toronto.
“They spanked us both times,” Casey said before the game.
“We had what, an 11-point lead with three minutes to go, something like that and they came back and just manhandled us the last portion of the game and up here, they manhandled us for 48 minutes (with the bench demoralizing the Raptors). It’s a situation where we’ve got to come out and compete for 48 (minutes), we’ve got to come out with a chip on our shoulder, because this team has our number and it’s been that way for a while. We’ve got to come out with that in mind.”
Patterson agreed, saying that just because Butler was sidelined (along with Nikola Mirotic and Noah), “we can’t take this game for granted. They played last night, but it doesn’t matter. We have to come out with our hard hats on and bring the effort and the focus.”
For a quarter and a half or so Friday night, they did. But not the rest of the time.