Kawhi-less Raptors halt 3-game skid
CHICAGO— With Kawhi Leonard sitting out, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse inserted Fred VanVleet into the starting lineup on Saturday. Mission accomplished as VanVleet scored 18 points, Danny Green added 17 and Serge Ibaka 16 points, sending the Raptors to a 122-83 rout of the Chicago Bulls that snapped the league-leaders’ three-game losing streak.
With Kawhi Leonard sitting out, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse inserted Fred VanVleet into the starting lineup Saturday night hoping it would snap the reserve guard out of a recent funk. Mission accomplished. VanVleet scored 18 points, Danny Green added 17 and Serge Ibaka had 16 points and four blocks, sending the shorthanded Raptors to a 122-83 rout of the Chicago Bulls that snapped the league-leaders three-game losing streak.
Leonard, the team’s leading scorer, was held out after play- ing 43 minutes in an overtime loss Friday night at Boston. He played in just nine games last season and has yet to appear in back-to-back games this season.
Green went 7 for 7 from the field, including 3 of 3 on 3pointers. VanVleet, who entered shooting just 36.1 percent from the floor, was 7 for 11—including 4 of 7 on 3s.
“Obviously, getting out there and getting an extended run is helpful to get a rhythm,” VanVleet said. “But at the end of the day, I just have to make shots.”
Antonio Blakeney had 13 points and Justin Holiday and Jabari Parker each added 12 for the Bulls, who have dropped four straight.
Chicago also played without its leading scorer, Zach LaVine, who sat out with an illness. LaVine first experienced symptoms Thursday night and struggled through Friday night’s game at Milwaukee.
VanVleet had eight points and made all three of his shots in the third.
In other matches, Philadelphia’s Jimmy Butler delivered the overtime dagger as the 76ers withstood 60 points from Kemba Walker in a 122-119 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Another nail-biter saw the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors drop a 112-109 decision to the Mavericks in Dallas.
Slovenian rookie Luka Doncic scored 24 points, including the jump shot that put Dallas ahead for good with 1:10 remaining.
The Warriors missed injured starters Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The Los Angeles Lakers also saw their four-game winning streak come to an end with a listless 130-117 loss to the Orlando Magic in Florida.