The Bulls pulled out a difficult win Wednesday night against a VanVleetless Raptors squad. Coming off a win against OKC, I expected the Bulls to continue playing strong against a very solid team. DeMar will always play tough & aggressive against his former team & the rest of the team would follow. The Bulls played a very good game with their Big 3 popping off; all three of the Bulls stars flirted with a triple double & played excellent team basketball. However, turnovers & lack of bench scoring created a lot of issues down the stretch for the Bulls. Give a lot of credit to the Raptors head coach, Nick Nurse, for putting together a great game plan & necessary adjustments coming out of the half. The Bulls nearly threw this game away by allowing Toronto to cut down their 17-point halftime deficit & even taking a one-point lead with about three minutes left in the game. The Bulls once again struggled against taller, lengthier players & against the traps & presses. The lapses on defense were also shown & Billy Donovan got outcoached. Luckily, the Bulls were able to band together with the help of their Big 3 & the energy of Javonte Green to seal a victory.
The Bulls started off really hot the first few minutes of the game with exceptional passing & off-ball movement. Zach & DeMar were getting theirs while Vooch looked great on both sides of the ball. The Bulls looked like a team that wasn’t going to miss that night, shooting an insane 66% from the field on 11 assists. Like usual though, they got stagnant on offense which carried over defensively—with five turnovers & allowing five threes. Trent Jr. looked great & he’d need to be, since the Raptors were missing Fred VanVleet. With the Raptors being a taller, lengthier team with active hands, the Bulls needed to be careful with their passing & drives. With the Bulls committing turnovers, the Raptors went on a 13-2 run towards the end of the quarter, trimming the lead from 14 to 4. Somehow, the Bulls do the same things every game. It doesn’t make sense. Their offense struggled in the beginning of the second quarter—with less ball movement & player movement. Toronto continued to play aggressive causing deflections & flustering the Bulls. The Bulls then turn it around, with the help of Zach & DeMar, to go on a 11-0 run. Vooch looked a lot better on both sides of the floor; Vooch continued to play inside & making the right passes—leading to five assists. His defense looked better & didn’t look aloof on rotations. The Bulls won the quarter by 13 & took a commanding 67-50 lead, with the help of their Big 3.
Toronto came out of the half with a great gameplan. The Bulls began by letting Vooch work inside but seemed to quickly abandon it. Toronto was a lot more physical & continued to play great defense with three steals & two blocks in the quarter. As usual, the Bulls let their mistakes get into their heads & looked visibly frustrated with their poor play. They struggled against the trap, similar to Monday night, and turned the ball over five times. The Raptors also shot seven free throws compared to the Bulls two, with one of those two being a technical. With the help of Trent Jr., who the Bulls seemed to have no answer for, the Raptors went on an 11-0 run to win the quarter by eight points & asserting themselves back into the game. Then, when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. In the final frame, the Bulls shot an abysmal 37% from the field & only four free throws compared to the Raptors 42% & ten free throws. Nick Nurse continued to make excellent adjustments by having a lineup where no matter how many switches the Bulls would make, the defender would still be able to guard or disrupt the play. The Bulls looked straight up looked lost on both offense & defense with multiple empty possessions & poor rotations. The Raptors had no turnovers in the quarter, showing the poor defensive intensity from the Bulls. Luckily Javonte Green brought that intensity by giving Siakam a hard time & flushing down some emphatic jams, sparking the Bulls. Toronto took a one-point lead with about three minutes left & the game nearly looked over; Zach then immediately attacks the basket with a tough and-one—giving the Bulls a two-point lead. The Bulls then got a huge break with Trent Jr., receiving his second technical of the game & therefore ejected. The Bulls had a terrible turnover with about 50 seconds left & Siakam couldn’t capitalize. The Bulls were up by three when Vooch hit the biggest shot of the night by cashing in a three—only his second attempt of the game. The Bulls narrowly pull this one out 111-105, moving to 30-17 on the season.
The Bulls are giving blueprints to opposing defenses by struggling against lengthier teams & their presses/traps. This is where Billy Donovan needs to try to make adjustments, regardless of which personnel are missing. Other teams will continue to trap the Bulls & attack them on the pick & roll. Luckily, the Bulls do have the king of the fourth to help close out close games. The Bulls also need more help from their bench in order to win games; Coby is going through a rough shooting stretch the last few games but I fully expect him to get straight soon. The Bulls Big 3 had a great performance combining for 69 points & 23 assists, one of the best group game this season. The Chicago Bulls go to San Antonio to face off another one of DeMar’s former teams, the Spurs. As the Bulls traveled to San Antonio, they received the expected announcement of DeMar DeRozan being selected as a starter for this year's all-star game. The Spurs aren’t the same team they once were but can’t be slept on; the Spurs have a bright spot in Dejounte Murray, who is nearly averaging a triple-double. Keldon Johnson is having a solid season & Jakob Poeltl is a very good defensive big. Also, they are coached by the great Gregg Popovich. I expect the Bulls, especially DeMar, to have yet another solid game tonight.
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