The Chicago Bulls (39–41) came away with a huge 104–88 win over the Toronto Raptors (38–42) on Sunday in Toronto to temporarily grab the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto is now a game back in ninth place. Coming into the game, the two teams were tied.
The Bulls were coming off night and day performances, defeating the league’s top team the Cleveland Cavaliers last Thursday 109–108 but then falling to the league’s worst team the New Jersey Nets the day after in double overtime.
“We just came out focused,” Chicago’s All-Star Derrick Rose told NBA TV.
“Everyone was focused in the locker room. We had the New Jersey game out of our heads and we knew this game was very important. Toronto’s a team that can really hurt you.”
Rose scored a game-high 26 points and had some jaw-dropping drives to the basket.
The Bulls came out playing as a playoff caliber team with a high-intensity offense that sliced through Toronto’s zone defense. Their aggressive defense also created many fast break points.
Chicago shut down Toronto in every quarter except a near-even fourth quarter, and big man Joakim Noah had an exceptional performance scoring 18 points and pulling down 19 rebounds.
“Joakim is probably the hardest worker I’ve ever played with. He makes everybody come out and play hard. You see what he did tonight,” Rose said.
Toronto’s Hedo Turkoglu—playing with a fractured nose from last Wednesday’s loss to Boston—gave it everything he had and was the team’s defensive powerhouse with 19 rebounds. But the big Turk only had six points, shooting a poor 2–12 from the field.
Guard Sonny Weems had another stellar performance for the Raptors with 18 points to match big man Andrea Bargnani, but the game came down to who wanted it more.
The Bulls went into halftime with a 10-point lead 58–48, outplaying the Raptors on both ends of the court and executing excellent ball movement to find the open man. The Bulls had 19 assists at the half to Toronto’s 11.
Chicago still needs to get through two tough games before the season is said and done. They host Boston on Tuesday and hit the road against Charlotte on Wednesday.
Toronto also has two games left. Although their easier schedule includes heading to Detroit on Monday and hosting New York on Wednesday, their chances of winning aren’t as good with the season-ending injury to star Chris Bosh.
Toronto is now a game back in ninth place. Coming into the game, the two teams were tied.
The Bulls were coming off night and day performances, defeating the league’s top team the Cleveland Cavaliers last Thursday 109–108 but then falling to the league’s worst team the New Jersey Nets the day after in double overtime.
“We just came out focused,” Chicago’s All-Star Derrick Rose told NBA TV.
“Everyone was focused in the locker room. We had the New Jersey game out of our heads and we knew this game was very important. Toronto’s a team that can really hurt you.”
Rose scored a game-high 26 points and had some jaw-dropping drives to the basket.
The Bulls came out playing as a playoff caliber team with a high-intensity offense that sliced through Toronto’s zone defense. Their aggressive defense also created many fast break points.
Chicago shut down Toronto in every quarter except a near-even fourth quarter, and big man Joakim Noah had an exceptional performance scoring 18 points and pulling down 19 rebounds.
“Joakim is probably the hardest worker I’ve ever played with. He makes everybody come out and play hard. You see what he did tonight,” Rose said.
Toronto’s Hedo Turkoglu—playing with a fractured nose from last Wednesday’s loss to Boston—gave it everything he had and was the team’s defensive powerhouse with 19 rebounds. But the big Turk only had six points, shooting a poor 2–12 from the field.
Guard Sonny Weems had another stellar performance for the Raptors with 18 points to match big man Andrea Bargnani, but the game came down to who wanted it more.
The Bulls went into halftime with a 10-point lead 58–48, outplaying the Raptors on both ends of the court and executing excellent ball movement to find the open man. The Bulls had 19 assists at the half to Toronto’s 11.
Chicago still needs to get through two tough games before the season is said and done. They host Boston on Tuesday and hit the road against Charlotte on Wednesday.
Toronto also has two games left. Although their easier schedule includes heading to Detroit on Monday and hosting New York on Wednesday, their chances of winning aren’t as good with the season-ending injury to star Chris Bosh.
