The Bulls will play the last place in the ‘playoffs’ against the Miami Heat next Friday by beating the Raptors in Toronto 105-109 on Wednesday in a game in which Chicago lost 19 points at the beginning of the third quarter.
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The game’s top scorer was Bulls guard Zach LaVine who added 39 points. His teammate Nikola Vucevic had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds while DeMar DeRozan had 23 points.
For the Raptors, the top scorer was Pascal Siakam, with 32 points. But the player made just five of the 11 free throws he had, missing two crucial ones in the final seconds of the game that could have forced overtime.
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Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet also stood out for the Raptors with a double-double each. Barnes had 19 points and 10 rebounds while VanVleet had 26 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bulls got their only win this season at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto when it counted the most, in the play-in. The Chicago team had lost the previous two games they had played in the Canadian city during the regular season.
And everything seemed that this Wednesday they would add their third and last defeat until the Raptors, who had comfortably dominated the game until the start of the third period, began to chain error after error.
In just over three crucial minutes of the fourth period, from 11:20 to 14:39, the Raptors accumulated six turnovers and went from 87-82 to 93-96. The Bulls did not miss the opportunity.
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Those from Toronto, who until then had only been behind on the scoreboard at the start of the second quarter by one point, did not regain the lead.
The most they could do was tie 100-100 with three minutes to go.
And when Siakam had a chance to tie the score again with 12 seconds left in regulation with three free throws, the Raptors’ leading scorer missed the final two, ultimately dooming the Canadian team.
The Raptors came onto the field with more energy than the Bulls. An aggressive defense and a successful attack allowed the locals to go up 7-2 in the first two minutes.
The Raptors’ lead was up to eight points during the first quarter thanks to VanVleet’s effort, although by the time the first 12 points were over the gap had been cut to five, 28-23.
In the second quarter, Siakam took over for the Raptors’ offense. If it hadn’t been for the 100% effectiveness of Coby White, who scored nine points in just over nine minutes, the Torontonians could have taken off on the scoreboard.
At halftime, the locals’ advantage was 11 points, 58-47.
After the return, the Raptors seemed ready to decide the game in the third quarter with an initial run of 8-0, 66-47, 19 points ahead.
But in the bottom half of the third quarter, LaVine decided to spoil the party for the Raptors. In six minutes he had 14 points, including the last 10 for his team. By the time he finished the third quarter, the Raptors’ lead was down to nine points, 81-72.
The last 12 points was an accumulation of nonsense for the Raptors. LaVine continued to dominate in and out of the Raptors zone, unable to stop him.
Siakam tried to make up for it but when his team needed him the most, the Cameroonian missed, sending the Raptors to a 105-109 elimination. EFE
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