 | L. Scola 15 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-2 3FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -5 +/- Non-factor in limited minutes. He stretched the floor but it didn’t amount to anything. |  |
 | J. Johnson 15 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | +2 +/- Tough to rate, as his minutes were heavily reduced tonight. He had some nice help D in the first half in his limited minutes. |  |
 | J. Valanciunas 33 MIN | 9-14 FG | 0-0 3FG | 7-8 FT | 12 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 25 PTS | +2 +/- Undoubtedly the best Raptor tonight. Despite getting schooled a couple times by Pau in the post, he dominated that matchup – scoring inside with his running hook, grabbing rebounds, and playing solid D. His foul trouble in the third quarter hurt, though, and you can’t help but feel it would have been good to have him on the floor during that Bulls run. |  |
 | K. Lowry 37 MIN | 9-18 FG | 2-7 3FG | 7-8 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 27 PTS | -8 +/- Threes in transition, getting to the rim, drive and kicks – Lowry did everything he could tonight offensively, but like every other perimeter player got carved defensively. |  |
 | D. DeRozan 40 MIN | 6-21 FG | 1-3 3FG | 9-10 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 22 PTS | -1 +/- Really tough game for DeMar tonight, especially considering how hard he worked. His shooting was off, and you can chalk that up to the Bulls solidified defense after the first quarter. In the third quarter especially, he couldn’t buy a bucket and I would have liked to see him move the ball more. Defensively, his rotations were late as the entire defensive system collapsed over and over again. | |
 | A. Bennett 5 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -5 +/- In 5 minutes, Bennett had a nice finish at the basket. Overall, he looked like he didn’t belong on the court with the rest of those NBA players. That he was lost is understandable, given that he’s had little to no game-time action with the A-squad. | |
 | P. Patterson 28 MIN | 5-10 FG | 2-4 3FG | 0-1 FT | 7 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 12 PTS | +0 +/- One of the Raptors’ better players. Nice energy off the bench, good shooting, and a monster slam on Bobby Portis. That dunk was incredible, and if that wasn’t enough to wake the Raptors, they just weren’t up for it as a whole. | |
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 | T. Ross 24 MIN | 1-6 FG | 0-1 3FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -16 +/- His worst game since November – a defensive mess and over-committed everywhere on the floor. Bad Terrence. |  |
 | B. Biyombo 15 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-4 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 1 PTS | -12 +/- Limited minutes for BB8 tonight which was surprising given JV’s foul trouble. I don’t see harm in leaving him in the game a bit further to stop defensive bleeding, but his usual effort certainly wasn’t there. He was out-worked and out-rebounded by Doug Mcdermott – so there’s that.. | |
 | C. Joseph 28 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-1 3FG | 1-1 FT | 5 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | -7 +/- Along with Patterson, he gave the Raptors a lift off the bench and was incisive with his penetration. Defensively he wasn’t his usual self, though, and he was a victim of several blow-bys. | |
 | Dwane Casey I didn’t understand his minute distribution at all, but I may have to go back and re-watch the game to get a better picture. His 5-minute burn of Bennett was bizarre, but Bennett wasn’t a huge detriment, so there’s that. He probably could have called a timeout quicker in the third to stop Chicago’s momentum. | |
Two Things We Saw
- That third quarter was one of the most disastrous quarters this season. The Bulls shot 64%, got anything they wanted offensively, and had little trouble stopping Toronto’s iso-heavy offense. The ball wasn’t moving enough and the Raptors really dug themselves a hole in that frame. Chicago just wanted it more.
- Do the Raptors want to play Chicago in the playoffs? Nope. If you can’t beat the Bulls tonight given the circumstances surrounding their team and the way the first quarter unfolded, you may never be able to beat them.
