 | Toronto | 122 | Final Box Score | 83 | Chicago |  |
 A | P. Siakam29 MIN, 12 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 4-10 FG, 0-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 30 +/- Pascal’s touch near the basket is insane, especially considering how fast he is generally moving once he gets there. It does help playing someone like Jabari who has almost no energy, but Siakam continues to impress on a nightly basis. His passing in particular jumped off the page tonight. As teams start to sellout on his drives he is finding open players in the post, off of cuts, or on the perimeter for open shots. His versatility sets him apart. | |
 A+ | D. Green26 MIN, 17 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 7-7 FG, 3-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 35 +/- Hitting his shots, forcing turnovers, and being damn likeable while doing it…that’s the Danny Green experience. Open the game with a triple, followed shortly by stealing a rebound from behind for an open lay-up, and even had his little running push-shot working (a shot I don’t particularly love from him). The Raptors just do better with Danny on the court. Also, I love Danny letting the defender fly by when they try to chase him off the three point line. One dribble, step to the side, open bucket. He’s so calm in that moment and it’s beautiful to watch. | |
 B+ | S. Ibaka23 MIN, 16 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 6-13 FG, 0-1 3FG, 4-4 FT, 4 BLK, 2 TO, 24 +/- If you were looking for someone early in the game to drop passes under the bucket, then Serge was your man. It happened too many times in the opening quarter. But after the rough start Serge was pivotal in the push to start the third quarter. Blocks, dunks, rebounds, free-throws, and running hooks, all helping to start the second half on a 9-0 run. | |
 B+ | K. Lowry29 MIN, 8 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 3-11 FG, 2-8 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 23 +/- The most consistent moment in every Raptors game is when an opposing big thinks it’s a good idea to go to the post on Lowry, not realizing that they are at a mismatch against Lowry’s thick lower frame. Tonight’s first victim was Jabari Parker, who barely moved Lowry before getting stripped of the ball. It’s a beautiful moment every night. His shot wasn’t falling but he contributed in every other area. Solid game. | |
 A- | F. VanVleet29 MIN, 18 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 7-11 FG, 4-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 31 +/- While I’m sure it’s not the reason Nurse started him, it’s nice to see Fred get the start close to where he grew up. And this was the Fred we expect on a nightly basis this season. Steady Freddy lived up to his name. He even got a blocked shot, which deserves an A on it’s own. | |
 B- | L. Brown22 MIN, 10 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 5-9 FG, 0-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 9 +/- Lorenzo just seems stuck. He’s just below being an NBA player but is too advanced for the G-League, and while he does make the occasional play it’s just not nearly enough. Thankfully for him the final quarter was G-League basketball so that helped. | |
 B | D. Wright19 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 3-8 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 14 +/- Outside of the fourth quarter it was a blah offensive night from Delon, but solid defensively. His length causes so many problems. | |
 C | M. Richardson19 MIN, 9 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 5 TO, 9 +/- He got an And-1 driving finger-roll in the second quarter, so that was new. His effort on defence was also there. That’s all you need to know about Malachi outside of garbage time. | |
 A- | J. Valanciunas14 MIN, 8 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 4-6 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 14 +/- Jonas came off the bench once again tonight and got to match up against Robin Lopez, as both players are being asked to play similar roles this season as former starters now moved to back-ups (not always for Jonas). Valanciunas bested his counterpart and dominated in limited minutes. Just a ho-hum 8 points and 9 rebounds in just 14 minutes. Standard. | |
 A | J. Loyd12 MIN, 8 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 2-2 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 6 +/- Has been so good with the 905 this season and I’m excited to watch him develop. He would have been Chicago’s second best point guard tonight. There is a lot to like about Loyd. | |
 B- | G. Monroe11 MIN, 7 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-4 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 1 +/- Surprised he didn’t get run before the fourth quarter when the game was clearly in hand. Wasn’t a focus while in the game and committed two offensive fouls in the looks he got, but his screens are loveable. With 1:20 left he had the chance at an easy bucket and gave it up to Boucher for a dunk. Nice to see him help out a young teammate. | |
 B | C. Boucher7 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/- Boucher looks almost comically long, and watching him go for rebounds or blocks is art. He is the new human victory cigar. | |
 B- | Nick Nurse Lowry should not have played 29 minutes through 3 quarters. This is the Bulls we are talking about. Even without Lowry the Raptors still had the two best point guards. That’s my big complaint. Thankfully Nurse gave his rotation players the fourth quarter off. So that helps. | |
Things We Saw
- The Raptors played without Kawhi (rest), OG (wrist), Norm (shoulder), and CJ (abductor). While the Raptors are deep on the wing it’s an uncomfortable sight to be without four of their main options. Thankfully, the Bulls have almost no NBA wings and were without Zach Lavine.
- The Bulls are the cure for whatever ails you if you’re another NBA team. With that said, Wendell Carter Jr. is so easy to like. They got a good one in him and it should be very interesting to pair him with Lauri Markkanen once the latter is healthy.
- Shaq Harrison is also fun. Dude tries hard.
- Benny the Bull remains an icon.
