 | Chicago | 114 | Final Box Score | 119 | Toronto |  |
 C | N. Powell27 MIN, 7 PTS, 0 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3-8 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 6 +/- The kid is struggling again. Norm was coming off his two best games of the season. He looked to be turning a corner until an uninspiring performance. | |
 B | S. Ibaka29 MIN, 16 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 7-11 FG, 2-4 3FG, 0-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Serge started off slow (ILoveMarkannen gave him that early work on a Tuesday), but as the game progressed, he got much better. Ibaka played off other Raptors with success, but also occasionally struggled versus the Chicago PFs. Overall, a solid performance. | |
 A | J. Valanciunas24 MIN, 21 PTS, 10 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 6-7 FG, 1-1 3FG, 8-10 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 9 +/- JV started the game off hotter than any of his Raptor counterparts. He punished the Bulls down-low early and capped off the 1st quarter with a three. Robin Lopez had a very good game, which keeps JV from an A+. | |
 A+ | K. Lowry33 MIN, 17 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 0 STL, 7-13 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 3 +/- Lowry explosively attacked the rim early while hunting for defensive rebounds. He operated in traffic with complete ease. KLow was efficient and vitalized. I entirely agree with Jack Armstrong: the Raptors’ bigs owe him a steak dinner after this one. | |
 A- | D. DeRozan36 MIN, 24 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 9-18 FG, 2-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 4 +/- DeMar didn’t force his game early when he knew JV and Lowry were buzzing. That’s an important quality to possess. He found his game later, but was visibly frustrated with the lack of calls going his way. He was clutch near the end. | |
 B | C. Miles18 MIN, 9 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-6 FG, 3-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 2 +/- The guy has no conscience. 3J came into the contest shooting at will — something the coaching staff has emphasized this season. He didn’t play often, but had an impact when he was on the court. | |
 B+ | D. Wright17 MIN, 6 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2-3 FG, 1-1 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 3 +/- Delon attacked the rim and kept the offense functioning when the starters sat. He threw dimes left and right and kept the Bulls scrambling. I would’ve loved to see him get more time in this game. | |
 B- | P. Siakam12 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-1 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2 +/- Siakam did Siakam things. Energy, rebounding and defense opened up everything for him, even in tiny spurts of play. | |
 B+ | O. Anunoby12 MIN, 7 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2-4 FG, 2-3 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -4 +/- Just wait until this kid is at 100% health. OG contributed across the board, with active hands defensively and a good-looking shot tonight. | |
 B- | J. Poeltl11 MIN, 6 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- Jakob, like FVV, Bebe and Siakam didn’t play much (with only 10 minutes logged for each player). Also like these two players, Poeltl played well, but not well enough to make a massive difference. | |
 B- | F. VanVleet10 MIN, 2 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Coming off a fantastic performance versus Washington, FVV couldn’t put an imprint on this game with so few minutes. He didn’t do anything terribly wrong (or vice versa). | |
 B- | L. Nogueira10 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 2 +/- Bebe’s stat-line might not inspire, but he did all the little things with the second unit. Setting good screens and moving the ball off PnR sequences. | |
 | L. Brown0 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- | |
 B- | Dwane Casey DC constantly mentioned starting the game fast for Toronto. It’s been their achilles heel all season. They did just that — playing with speed, effort and aggressiveness. Toronto held the fort until late in the 4th quarter, when ball movement stagnated and the lead collapsed to as small as three. | |
Things We Saw
- Considering the opponent, it’d be nice to see the Raptors take this game by the throat early. Instead, it was a 29-26 first quarter which saw Toronto happily trade buckets with the conference-worst Chicago Bulls. After an atrocious performance versus Washington, fans and Toronto players alike wanted an encouraging start. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad either.
- The 2nd quarter was another story. The Raptors second unit came into the game and blew the lid off this one. Everyone seemed involved and the first half effort was the best from this Toronto team since Portland. The Bulls were outscored a whopping 36-19 in the second frame. The Bulls made a late comeback after Toronto moved into their usual 4th quarter-heavy isolation sets. It was an unacceptable final six-or-so minutes from Toronto.
- Toronto shot the lights out from deep. For a team not known for its three point ability, the Raptors shot 13 for 23 in this one. Save for CJ Miles, we know this team doesn’t have a true knockdown 3PT shooter. The charitable ball movement from the entire team facilitated open shots, which Toronto took advantage of.
