Tough one.
 | Raptors | 105 | Final Box Score | 111 | Bulls |  |
 B- | P. Siakam43 MIN, 12 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL, 3-12 FG, 0-0 3FG, 6-9 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -11 +/- Thought the decision making was great in the first half, but the touch evaded him. The second half and the close saw him forcing some stuff – on a limited team to be fair – and the missed free throws + empty possessions were tough. The defense was phenomenal, though. | ||||||||
 C+ | P. Achiuwa23 MIN, 3 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -2 +/- As per usual, a linchpin of the defense even if he didn’t close this game. Without any direct lanes to the rim, and the Raptors working differently on offense, he was really quiet. | ||||||||
 A | O. Anunoby34 MIN, 23 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 10-15 FG, 3-7 3FG, 0-1 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, -14 +/- His best game as a post-hub. The Raptors couldn’t break the Bulls down from above the break as much as they would’ve liked, so the post entries to Anunoby represented bully ball or a defense in rotation. He was great. | ||||||||
 B+ | S. Barnes38 MIN, 16 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 0 STL, 6-11 FG, 0-3 3FG, 4-6 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -10 +/- Lots of defensive mistakes in this one, but quite a few standout possessions as well. Really liked the extra “decision maker” possessions he had on ball in the second half, as we got to see him processing some reads against a stalwart defense. | ||||||||
 A | G. Trent Jr.37 MIN, 32 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 11-22 FG, 6-10 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -11 +/- Would be an A+, but you just can’t take yourself out of a close game like that. His shot-making was top notch in this game and a lot of it came off his own dribble. It was a quick whistle for a T, but man, just can’t have that. | ||||||||
 B- | C. Boucher29 MIN, 9 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 1-5 3FG, 2-3 FT, 2 BLK, 1 TO, +1 +/- The 3 straight fouls were really tough at the end, even though if they had all been spaced out over many possessions you’d be able to rationalize each one. You definitely want more on the glass in a game like this, but this was a tough matchup for him. | ||||||||
 Inc | Y. Watanabe5 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +6 +/- No takeaways. Sorry, Yuta. | ||||||||
 B | M. Flynn8 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-1 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Hit a three! Hit a cutter with a great pass! A short stint, but two plus plays made. Couldn’t create anything off the bounce, though. | ||||||||
 A- | D. Banton24 MIN, 7 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 3-6 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, +16 +/- Loved his defense tonight. He was hovering in all the right places, and pushed the ball the other way when he could. Some nice passes made too. The extra fight on the offensive glass is nice too. | ||||||||
 B+ | Nick Nurse Sticking with Banton two straight nights and reaping the rewards. Really good call. Was probably robbed of some of the plays he wanted to run down the stretch with Gary getting tossed, and they turned to the trio of wings and a mixed bag. | ||||||||
Things We Saw
- Banton is absolutely the “minutes are being won, let’s figure out why” guy. You can always say defense, but you also have to figure out why him instead of others. Good for him.
- This might not look like typical offensive output, but OG Anunoby is a utilitarian. Who cares how it looks? Advantages are being created, points are being scored.
- DeMar is just so damn good.
