Raptors defeat the Bulls 118-107 to end a five-game losing streak.
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Chicago Bulls 118-107 on Tuesday night to end a season-high five-game losing run. Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points, Bruce Brown added 19 points and seven rebounds.
The Raptors trailed by 16 points in the second quarter but took the lead late in the third and held on thanks to 17 points in 19 minutes from Jordan Nwora and 16 points and 10 assists from Dennis Schroder.
For Chicago, which has lost three straight, DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, while Ayo Dosunmu added 21 points.
Through a shot by Brown in the latter minutes of the third quarter, the shorthanded Raptors cut the Bulls’ lead to 77-75. Nwora then made a four-point play with 2:46 remaining in the quarter to give the Raptors an 83-82 advantage. With 1:43 remaining, he made two free throws and another 3-pointer to increase the advantage to 88-83.
For Chicago, which has lost three straight, DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, while Ayo Dosunmu added 21 points.
Through a shot by Brown in the latter minutes of the third quarter, the shorthanded Raptors cut the Bulls’ lead to 77-75. Nwora then made a four-point play with 2:46 remaining in the quarter to give the Raptors an 83-82 advantage. With 1:43 remaining, he made two free throws and another 3-pointer to increase the advantage to 88-83.
After acquiring Brown in a deal with the Pacers this month, Thaddeus Young, who is in his 17th season in the NBA, has drawn attention.
Bruce plays hoops for a living. He is a skilled player. You want someone like that on your team. You want players who can read the game, make plays, go out there and act as glue guys, and simply fit right in. Although he hasn’t played with us for very long, he seems to have spent the entire season, Young remarked.
The game was turned around by Nwora.
“Amazing work tonight. Amazing game the previous game as well. He went from barely playing to lighting it up off the bench, according to Young. “That’s another guy, like I said, you love guys like that who can play and it just fits like a glove.”
With 8:41 remaining, Jalen McDaniels’ three-pointer put the Bulls ahead 102-94, but DeRozan rallied the team by passing Brown for a dunk in the lane with 7:12 remaining to bring the score down to 104-100.
After forcing a turnover and trapping DeRozan, Toronto regained momentum and Young scored easily.
With 2:07 remaining, DeRozan made two free three-pointers to cut the lead to 111-106, but Young responded with a layup. Young scored 16 points in the end.
“I could talk all night about Thad Young. It extends beyond his actions on the court. In addition, it’s everything he does off the court, according to Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic.
Chicago was forced into 17 turnovers by Toronto’s trap.
“I believe we hurried through that. I believe I made five mistakes. I made a few crucial mistakes in the end. DeRozan stated, “I believe AC (Alex Caruso) had one when we attempted to mount a comeback to tie the game. “We need to be more aware of our surroundings and handle the ball with a little more care.”
RJ Barrett (knee swelling), Immanuel Quickley (quadriceps contusion), and Jakob Poeltl (ankle sprain) were the Raptors’ starting lineup absences.
Trent led Toronto 63-53 at the half despite scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the first quarter and 16 in the second.
Due to a left foot injury, Bulls forward Patrick Williams is anticipated to be sidelined for a minimum of two more weeks. Williams was unable to participate in Sunday’s 104-96 victory away in Portland due to a foot problem. The 6-foot-7 forward has acute bone edoema, and the Bulls announced prior to the game that he will be examined in around two weeks. This season, Williams is averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 27.3 minutes.
Billy Donovan, the coach of the Bulls, hopes to get him back following the All-Star break.
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