Raptors surpass last season’s record in win over Chicago
At 31 wins, the Raptors are now better than they were last season. And we haven’t hit All-Star Weekend yet.
Expectations have changed and yesterday was a must-win against a depleted Chicago Bulls roster that acquired seven new players before the trade deadline. Chicago was the near-equivalent of their G League affiliate, Windy City Bulls.
For the Raptors, this allowed experimentation – for Barnes, playing more of a facilitator role; for BI, relying less on the mid-range; for IQ, the freedom to hoist up 3s (the threat and volume of his 3-point shooting helped a free-flowing offence).
On BI via Louis Zatzman:
“In fact, only four of his 13 first-half shots came from the midrange. He was hitting everything, and for a time it seemed like he would chase his career high in points. He didn’t get there, largely because he didn’t chase it. But he finished with a ho-hum 33 points on only 20 shots, a casual display of otherworldly dominance.”
Defence was never the Bulls’ forte, and the Raptors exploited a weakened roster by doing something they hardly ever do: shoot the 3 well. Ingram’s 5-for-9 and Mamu’s 4-for-6 beyond the arc contributed to 14 makes (41%!) from downtown.
The new-look Bulls were guard-heavy. With RJ out, Walter got the starting nod from Darko Rajakovic, and took full advantage. He sliced and diced into the lane, rim-finishing his way to 12 points in 31 minutes.
Last night was a chance for Dick and Battle to get valuable reps in. However, Dick struggled mightily defensively as did the rest of the team. He was hunted in his limited minutes and showed why he was the Windy City’s prey. Battle was locked in defensively, but didn’t make a splash from downtown on a night where the Raptors were doing what he does best.
From a front office standpoint, Chicago made the type of bold moves that maybe the envy of some in the Raptors’ fanbase. Little has changed for this Raptors roster, and that consequence maybe felt against the Pistons next week. Till then, this team has more room to practice, experiment, tinker, and try new things against the Indiana Pacers.
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