Toronto Raptors bounced back quickly after a loss in Boston, by defeating the Chicago Bulls on the road. Nick Nurse’s guys were routine against the hosts at the United Center, controlling the game from the tip-off until the end for a 108-84 victory.
” I thought we were pretty solid defensively tonight,” said Raptors head coach. “so we just kept on hanging in there and played though some hits, rode them off some screens, made some good switches. And protected the rim well tonight.”
Just 84 points allowed this Saturday night were backing up Nurse’s claim. The Bulls were kept to only 29.9% of shooting from the field, as they made 29 shots in 97 attempts. They were even worse behind the three-point line, shooting 9 for 35.
On top of that, the Raptors were better on the glass, having 65 boards, compared to 56 of the hosts. One other stat, however, really stands above others. Toronto scored 25 points off fast breaks, while Chicago had only 7.
The Bulls were a decent opponent in the first half, as they even had a lead during the second period. But the champs made a push near the end of the second and gained a 48-40 advantage before ditching the hosts in the third. That part of the game ended 36-22 in Raptors’ favor, and the scoreboard showed 84-62 at the end of the period. After that, it was all routine in the final sequence.
Last year’s Most Improved Player, Pascal Siakam led the visiting side with 19 points, and 6 boards, along with 4 assists. However, he did commit 4 turnovers and 5 fouls. Siakam admitted that he needs to work on these aspects of the game and eliminate them as soon as possible.
“I can always argue if it was a foul, wasn’t a foul. But as a leader, I have to be able to not be in those situations — and be in the game,” said Siakam. “I’ve got to figure that out. Turnovers, obviously, it’s something new for me seeing double teams. I’ve got to find a way to not turn the ball over.”
The Raptors had diversified their point productivity very nicely last night. Serge Ibaka had 18 points off the bench with 7 boards, shooting 8 of 12 from the field. Fred VanVleet added 16 with 6 dimes, and OG Anunoby 17 with 6 rebounds.
“The way he played tonight if he plays like that, we’ll be a tough team to deal with,” VanVleet spoke of Anunoby.
Meanwhile, the Bulls had just two players with 10 or more points, and those were Wendell Carter Jr. with 12 and Zach LaVine with 11. Carter had 11 boards on top of that. The hosts couldn’t respond to a strong defense Raptors imposed in this one.
“They brought the physicality to us, and they threw the first punch,” Otto Porter Jr. said. “We didn’t really respond well.”
Chicago heads for New York to play against the Knicks this Monday. Meanwhile, the Raptors are hosting the Orlando Magic, and after that, have a clash in Toronto against the Detroit Pistons, before heading for Milwaukee.
