Black beast of the Raptors, the Bulls remained on five wins in a row against their Canadian rival. But Thursday night, while Zach LaVine has to deal with back pain, Chicago had to bow in overtime north of the border (127-120).
Shaken by the physical game of the Raptors, the Bulls were certainly able to count on the best game of his season from Nikola Vucevic (30 points, 18 rebounds) as well as a solid game from DeMar DeRozan (28 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) , back on his old lands. But opposite, if Gary Trent Jr. had to give up his series of games at 30 points, the Raptors managed to find enough ammunition to last all evening, and an extension on top of that.
Besides new Hometown All-Star, Fred VanVleet (21 points, 9 assists) and former Hometown All-Star, Pascal Siakam (25 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists), Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby both contributed 21 points while Chris Boucher (16 points, 10 rebounds) was a sharp second knife off the bench.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Scottie Barnes for the tap clutch. After having made a gap at the end of the 3rd quarter, the Raptors saw the Bulls swoop down on them in the last quarter, behind the veteran duo DeRozan – Vucevic. The latter even thought he could offer victory to his club on a basket from the baseline but on the next possession, Scottie Barnes perfectly followed VanVleet’s miss to snatch the equalizer. And the extension.
– A one-way extension. In a match with 16 leader changes and 10 draws, it was in good taste that it ended in overtime. But in the extra period, the locals did the job seriously with OG Anunoby who notably made 2/2 from 3-pointers and Toronto who shot 4/6 on shots for 13 points, when Chicago no longer found a solution. , stuck at 3/8 and only 6 points scored.
– More physical Raptors. It’s the new DNA of the Raptors in recent years: Masai Ujiri has started an impressive collection of tall players who can do a little bit of everything on the field. Since the title acquired on the shoulders of Kawhi Leonard, the GM of Toronto has accumulated physical wingers and Thursday night, it paid off with the Bulls jostled throughout the match, limited to 10 offensive rebounds (against 22 in Toronto) and forced to 17 stray bullets (for 22 points from Toronto). “We moved all game long”, will be forced to recognize Zach LaVine.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Scottie Barnes. We could have placed Pascal Siakam (25 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists) who did damage in the defense of the Bulls, but it was above all Scottie Barnes who saved the Canadian house with his tap that snatched the extension. At 21 points on 9/16 on shots and 8 rebounds, the Raptors rookie was not only very good but he was above all decisive at the end of regulation time, and in overtime.
✅ Nikola Vucevic. Stigmatized at the start of the season after starting on diesel, Nikola Vucevic is trying to find the right fuel. His game with 30 points (season record), plus 18 rebounds, a strong double-double maousse, proves that the former Magic is still an All-Star caliber player.
✅ chris butcher. Discreet on his last four outings, Chris Boucher came out of the cold room by signing a double-double at 16 points, 10 rebounds off the bench.
⛔ Gary Trent Jr. He remained on an insane five-game streak of 30 or more points, but Gary Trent Jr. no longer had a hot hand. At only 5/13 on shots including 3/8 from afar, the former darling of Portland had a more discreet evening. Nevertheless, it was he who scored the 3-pointer that definitively sealed Toronto’s victory in overtime!
⛔ Zach LaVine. Embarrassed by back pain, the Bulls All-Star grits his teeth but his performance is necessarily affected. With 15 points (and only 10 shots attempted), plus 7 assists and 5 rebounds, he was solid but he couldn’t make the difference late in the game, as he is used to.
THE FOLLOWING
Chicago (32-19): continuation of the “road trip” in Indiana this night.
Toronto (27-23): reception of the Hawks tonight.
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