What better way to start off a five-game road trip than with a dominant victory?
The Toronto Raptors routed the Chicago Bulls tonight for the third time this season, officially completing the sweep of yet another team in a season series. Continuing to flex their near-full-strength roster, this was a wire-to-wire win that was the first step towards building a cushion for their current 5th-best record in the East.
As bad as it might sound, this victory couldn’t possibly be a surprise though, as Chicago
went the entire month of February without securing a single win. In March, they’ve been marginally more successful, coming into this matchup with four wins and four losses. They’ve got a few pieces to build around in Matas Buzelis, Rob Dillingham, and young guys like Leonard Miller, Jaden Ivey, and Isaac Okoro that just haven’t worked out with the team that drafted them. Even still, they’re at least a few years and several good decisions away from being competitive.
That was more evident tonight than ever, as Toronto skillfully picked apart their defence and offered a clinic in passing, cutting, transition play, and defence that earned them the 139-109 win. This was one of the smoothest games they’ve had all season, hinting at what they might be able to do during the postseason.
BI, Scottie, RJ, and IQ all had phenomenal games tonight with Ja’Kobe stepping up among the bench players. The aforementioned four starters were already in double figures in the first half. The final starter, Poeltl, was quiet in the first half but came alive in the second to finish with 17-8-2. Ingram continues to find himself doubled, the only answer for defences when faced with his scoring game. Despite that, BI still found his own shots, and the doubles allowed him to distribute as well to finish with 18-5-4. Scottie continued to play phenomenal two-way ball, chipping in 18-7-3. RJ and IQ both did a bit of everything too to end with 23-4-2 and 10-2-7 respectively. Perhaps if their lead wasn’t so significant, they might have found themselves more time on the floor that could have led to even higher numbers.
Buzelis was one of the only positive notes for Chicago, sinking threes during scoring droughts, making his way to the rim and staying engaged in the game despite playing down by, at times, 30+ points. He ended with 19-7-1. Collin Sexton was the only other answer for Chicago’s offense with consistency, contributing 14-2-5 off the bench.
Chicago went almost 4 minutes into the game without making a field goal. Their offence looked hesitant, taking ill-advised shots, turning the ball over, and deferring to teammates rather than taking their own shot. They finally managed to get the lid of the net to score 10, only to suffer another 4-minute drought in the same way.
Toronto had to be proud of their defence, the deciding factor in the first frame. Nothing was easy for Chicago, and with each won defensive possession, they were able to cash in on the offensive end of the floor and build a substantial lead early on. The lead continued to build, scoring 32 in the first quarter, good for a 15-point lead. Turned them over 7 times in the frame.
Toronto’s savvyness cutting became evident in the second. They were able to repeatedly get underneath the basket for wide-open layups by slipping the defender and waiting for a dime pass. It wasn’t just one passer or cutter either, they shared the ball and got everyone scoring opportunities.
Of course, this started to get under the skin of the Bulls, and that combined with frustration over calls led to a general chippiness that only built as the clock winded down.
A 27-point advantage at the half while shooting 60% from the field, 50% from long range, and 91% from the free-throw line serves as one of the best halves of basketball they’ve had all season, albeit against a weak opponent.
Chicago tried to fight back a bit in the third, hoping the Raptors would take their foot off of the gas, but this game continued to snowball in Toronto’s favour. It didn’t matter who touched the court either. Battle played decent minutes, Ja’Kobe continued to show his growth and maturity on the court that are earning him minutes, and Mamu had a silencer dunk that made most of us probably wonder why they didn’t just call the game after the first three quarters.
Toronto went to their bench early in the fourth, getting everyone who was healthy in. There wasn’t much of a drop in intensity, following the example set out in the first three frames. It was nice to see, as all too often a lead of this magnitude can breed complacency. Instead the complete opposite rang true, with the bench setting a season record in points and sealing the victory.
Now, with their third straight win, Toronto has the positive momentum they need as they continue on to Denver for the next leg of the roadtrip.
