10 observations: Raps smother Bulls with active defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Each new day in the NBA affords opportunity.
And the Chicago Bulls, after falling 113-104 to the Raptors in Toronto on Sunday, must use that opportunity to emphasize ball security and rebounding when they host the same team again in Chicago on Monday.
Here are 10 observations from the front leg of an unconventional back-to-back:
1. Both sides were shorthanded for this one. The Bulls played without Zach LaVine (left knee injury management), Andre Drummond (left shoulder sprain) and Coby White (left quad contusion), while the Raptors lost Pascal Siakam — for at least two weeks — to a right groin strain on Friday. Drummond missed his fifth consecutive game and, per head coach Billy Donovan, is likely out Monday as well.
2. Nick Nurse-coached teams do not mess around when it comes to using their length and athleticism to defend actively. Against a Bulls team playing without LaVine, that meant trapping DeMar DeRozan on almost every touch and stalking driving and passing lanes with physicality.
Local
In the first half, that strategy translated to nine Bulls turnovers (six of which came via Raptors steals) and nine Toronto points off of them. In the second quarter, specifically, the hosts scored eight points off of six Bulls turnovers en route to outscoring them 34-19 and carrying a 55-49 lead into the halftime locker room, which marked a 17-point swing from the Bulls' 11-point lead three minutes into the second.
3. Toronto pulled ahead by as many as 10 points in the third quarter. But true to their early-season form, the Bulls had a comeback in the cards. From the final two minutes of the third to the opening two minutes of the fourth, they went on an inspired 18-3 run to flip an 80-71 deficit into an 89-83 lead. The driving forces were active defense, timely 3-point shooting and improved ball movement from a first half in which the Raptors' swarming schemes often left them flat-footed.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
A back-and-forth stretch run ensued, but the Raptors eventually pulled away.
4. Fred VanVleet was the star of the night for the hosts, notching 30 points and 11 assists, with nine of those points, three of those assists and two 3-pointers coming in the fourth quarter. His late-game heroics included an acrobatic and-one floater to put Toronto ahead 103-99 with just under four minutes to play, and a leaning dime out of a double-team to a Scottie Barnes dunk that made the score 109-102 with 1:39 left.
5. The Raptors' aforementioned activity, though, also had a sizable role to play in a frenetic crunch time. In the fourth quarter, Toronto scored six points off four Bulls turnovers, and 11 second chance points off a whopping 11 offensive rebounds.
Zoomed out to the game, at large, those numbers were even more dizzying. The Raptors scored 17 points off of 23 Bulls turnovers (grabbing 11 steals) and 27 second chance points off 23 offensive rebounds for the contest. That led to them dominating the possession battle and taking 15 more field goal attempts than the Bulls (103 against 88), which helped compensate for trailing the Bulls in both field goal (42.7) and 3-point (27) percentage.
6. We mentioned the Raptors sent multiple bodies at DeRozan at every opportunity. We should also mention they executed that scheme in terrific fashion. DeRozan scored 20 points on 77.7 percent shooting in the game, but uncharacteristically committed five turnovers and got up only nine shots, tying his Bulls-tenure low for field goal attempts in a game. He also only visited the free throw line six times after drawing 22 attempts in Friday's loss to the Celtics (and averaging 9.1 for the season).
And as the turnover total suggests, the Bulls were simply not consistent enough making quick passing reads out of DeRozan double-teams.
7. Following an unceremonious stint with the Raptors after being included in last summer's Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade with the Heat, Goran Dragić is not a beloved figure in Toronto. He was booed on every touch throughout the game, with the 19,800 fans in attendance noticeably delighting in him missing a warmup jumper in between plays, and being blocked on a floater attempt, at the end of the first quarter.
However, Dragić soon settled in and silenced the crowd on a few occasions while racking up 16 points (4-for-6 from 3-point range) in 21 minutes off the bench. Another productive outing as the Bulls won the bench points battle 34-19.
8. Patrick Williams continues to play aggressively, even if his 13 points (to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks) in this one came on 5-for-16 shooting. The third-year forward missed seven of his eight field goal attempts in the first quarter and was blocked four times in the period by Raptors rookie Christian Koloko, who swatted six shots for the game in an impressive showing. Although Williams made three of his five 3-point attempts and had a pair of authoritative dunks in the fourth, his finishing must improve; he shot 2-for-10 in the restricted area on Sunday.
9. Alex Caruso was one of the few Bulls who consistently made decisive passing reads to beat the Raptors' rotation, slinging 11 assists, and he stuck his nose in the fray to pull down 11 rebounds while starting for LaVine. But his shooting continues to be an issue. After going 1-for-11 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range, including some back-breaking open looks, he is now shooting 32.7 percent from the field and 9-for-30 from beyond the arc this season.
10. With LaVine and White out, rookie wing Dalen Terry received his earliest rotation turn of the season, beginning at the five minute mark of the first quarter for Williams. He did not waste time inserting his already-trademark brand of energy into the game:
Later in the first, he pushed the ball up court and hockey-assisted a Javonte Green 3-pointer after stone-walling Barnes on a drive. And between the end of the third and early fourth quarter, he keyed the Bulls' comeback bid by snaring a loose ball from Boucher, burying an off-the-dribble jumper at the end of the shot clock and generally playing actively on defense and fast in transition. In all, a productive night in his first real NBA minutes.
Next up: Back home for the Raptors again on Monday.
Click here to follow the Bulls Talk Podcast.
