Chicago Bulls lose centers, then lose late lead against Toronto
Trying to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Chicago Bulls, the Toronto Raptors tried disguising themselves as the Huskies, a defunct NBA team from the 1940s.
There also was a segment where this turned into a hockey game, with Bulls center Robin Lopez and Toronto's Serge Ibaka squaring off and getting ejected for throwing one punch each.
After all that, the Raptors rallied from 16 points down in the fourth quarter to finally end the streak with a 122-120 overtime victory over the Bulls.
Not only did this loss do damage to the Bulls' playoff position, they may be without their top two centers Wednesday when Detroit and Andre Drummond visit the United Center for a crucial game. Lopez probably is facing a one-game suspension and backup Cristiano Felicio left with an injury midway through the fourth quarter.
"We don't have a choice. We have to find a way to bounce back with big effort tomorrow," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "This one hurts."
The only good news for the Bulls (33-38) was Detroit losing at Brooklyn on Tuesday, while Miami beat Phoenix. That left the Bulls a game behind the Pistons for ninth place but within 2 games of seventh-place Miami and eighth-place Milwaukee. The Bucks played in Portland late Tuesday.
Jimmy Butler scored 37 points and hit 11 of 21 shots from the field but seemed to tire late. Rajon Rondo added a season-high 24 points. The Bulls got some nice contributions from a variety of players for 3½ quarters, but it all dried up down the stretch.
In overtime, Butler scored off the drive on the first possession, and the Bulls missed their next 8 shots and trailed by 6 by the time Rondo stole an inbounds pass and hit a lay-in with about 12 seconds left. Butler added a 3-pointer too late to make a difference.
"That's one positive you've got to take out of it," Hoiberg said. "I felt we played some of our best basketball of the season to build that lead. Guys were playing together, pace was phenomenal. The game just got a little ugly. They got up and pressed and trapped, got us sped up a little bit. We missed some good looks, and we also had some bad turnovers that led to easy baskets for them."
The Bulls lost Felicio with 7:24 left after he had a shot blocked by Patrick Patterson and landed on the floor awkwardly. Felicio stayed on the floor for a few minutes before gingerly rising to his feet and slowly walking to the locker room. Hoiberg's update after the game was that Felicio is sore after landing on his tailbone.
The game continued in the Bulls' favor for about a minute as Paul Zipser's 3-pointer put the visitors ahead 109-94 with 6:39 left. But that's when the Bulls turned ice cold.
While Toronto went on a 15-0 run, the Bulls missed 7 straight shots and added 3 turnovers. The Raptors tied the score on a Cory Joseph drive with 1:50 left.
Butler had a little bit left in his tank as he hit a baseline pullup, then jumped in front of a pass and finished a fastbreak in traffic to put the Bulls up by 4. DeRozan answered with a pair of baskets but missed a potential go-ahead free throw and 3-point play opportunity with 37.3 seconds remaining. Butler and DeRozan both missed long shots in the final seconds of the fourth.
Lopez and Ibaka squared off with 3:58 left in the third quarter. As Butler knocked down a 3-pointer, Lopez was pushed by a Toronto player into Ibaka. The Raptors big man responded by throwing his shoulder into Lopez's back and the anger escalated.
As the players squared off, Lopez swatted the ball out of Ibaka's hands. Ibaka followed with a shove to the neck area and then both players threw wild punches that barely connected.
But a punch is an automatic ejection, so both players were tossed and probably will be suspended for the next game.
The Bulls added a black stripe to their jerseys in honor of former general manager Jerry Krause, who died Tuesday at 77.
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Scouting report
Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons at the United Center, 7 p.m. Wednesday
TV: WGN
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: Not only is playoff position on the line in this one, the Bulls need a victory to split the season series 2-2 and avoid losing the head-to-head tiebreaker. This will be the second leg of back-to-back games for both teams, with the Pistons losing Tuesday in Brooklyn. Detroit has lost four of its last five games. The Pistons have relied on balanced scoring all season. SF Tobias Harris is the top scorer with 16.2 ppg, followed by PG Reggie Jackson (14.9), C Andre Drummond (14.6), PF Marcus Morris (14.2) and SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (14.2). Drummond ranks second in the league with 13.9 rebounds per game. The home team has won all three meetings between the teams this season.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center on Friday, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw