Bulls top Raptors |
TORONTO - To tank or not to tank, that is the question. It's the question on everyone's mind regarding the Chicago Bulls (21-28) and one they may not have an answer to until after the trade deadline. It's not a secret that the Bulls are one of those teams that should've started over years ago, but after consistently doing enough to get by, the front office didn't make enough necessary changes to get better.
That has backfired in a big way this season, but yet again, they are still in a position to claim the final play-in berth, which is where this team has been the past few seasons. With so many of the Bulls' roster members generating trade interest, there is a good chance that several of their key players get moved at the deadline, making this a vastly different-looking roster in roughly a week. Knowing that the Bulls are starting to plan accordingly, as you saw against the Toronto Raptors (15-33) at the Scotiabank Arena on Friday night. With Zach Lavine still out due to maternity leave, the Bulls went with a smaller rotation that proved efficient and was about as balanced as you can be in a 122-106 road victory. Seven of the nine players that saw minutes landed in double figures, including all four bench players, as the Bulls bench was the key to their victory. Leading the way for Chicago was Coby White, who was still trying to get his footing back after missing time due to a foot injury. With Lavine out, it's up to White to take on the scoring load, and with 25 points and six assists, he got back to doing what he does best. White wasn't the only starter putting up good numbers as fellow trade candidate Nikola Vucevic added 21 points to give the Bulls two 20-plus point performers while pulling down 12 boards. Josh Giddey also had a strong effort as he finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists as he continues to do it all. Not only were those the only three starters to land in double figures, but when Lonzo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu combined for just 11 points, it was going to come down to the bench to pick up their slack. Not only did they do that, but four players combined for 50 points off the bench as the Bulls finally had the production they were looking for. Jalen Smith led the way for the Bulls second unit and his 17 points as he continues to play a significant role. Depending on what happens with Vucevic at the deadline, Smith should start seeing more minutes as he had 17 points in just 17 minutes. You also had the rookie Matas Buzelis come through with another strong game, adding 12 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Throw in Dalen Terry's 10 points and Patrick Williams's strong 11 points and nine-rebound showing, and the new-look Bulls bench is starting to take off, which will be something to watch post-deadline. Like the Bulls, Toronto is one of those teams that should've blown things up sooner than they did, but they have started the rebuilding process. Things may not look good for them now, but they have a bright future if they can hang on to some of their key players. One of those guys is the leader of this team, Scottie Barnes, as he continues to do his thing on the court. Barnes led the Raptors with 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to post another double-double. Four of five players to land in double figures came from the starting lineup as the Raptors starters hung right with the Bulls. Joining him was RJ Barrett, who came one rebound away from a double-double, posting 19 points and grabbing nine boards. Those were their two high-end scorers, but Toronto continued to see some production from some of their younger guys. Those guys included Immanuel Quickley and his 14 points, along with Grady Dick and his 13 points as the Bulls defense did a much better job on Dick in this one. There are many reasons why the Raptors, but the biggest reason why the Raptors fell in this one was their lack of scoring off the bench. Ja'Kobe Walter was the only player with double figures off the bench, as he finished with 14 points in another loss for the Raptors.
STOCKTON UPENDS THE BULLS ON THE ROAD
Looking to start their road trip off on a bang, the Windy City Bulls (5-9) had their work cut out for them as they faced off against one of the best teams in the league, the Stockton Kings (13-3). Not only is this one of the best teams in the G-League, but their 9-2 home record makes them one of the toughest teams to beat, regardless of where they play.
This was one of those games over by halftime as the Kings outscored the Bulls 28-15 in the second quarter to open up a 15-point lead before pushing their lead to 20 after three. The Bulls did a great job battling back in the fourth to outscore the Kings by 10, but it wasn't enough in their 117-107 loss.
Like their parent club in Chicago, the Windy City Bulls used only a nine-man rotation. Adama Sanogo led the Bulls from start to finish, finishing with 27 points and 14 boards in one of his best games of the season. He was the lone starter with over 20 points, with EJ Liddell scoring 19 points and Emmanuel Miller scoring 16 points having strong efforts.
Miller also added 13 rebounds as he is starting to come into his own as a player. Jordan Hall made it four starters in double figures with 12 points, while Ben Coupet JR and Alex Schumacher dropped 11 each off the bench. When it comes to the Kings, it was all about balance, as all five of their starters and seven total players landed in double figures.
That included Jon Elmore and his 21 points to lead all scorers for the Kings. Stockton also saw Boogie Ellis drop 20 off the bench while Skal Labissiare added 17 points and 12 rebounds. Former Bull Terry Taylor also had a strong effort with 14 points as the Bulls had no answers for the Kings attack.
