Bulls get it done against Toronto once again
As bad as this season has been, the Bulls have found something to live for: Somehow, some way, get themselves matched up against Toronto in the first round of the playoffs.
With Monday's 109-107 victory at the Air Canada Centre, the Bulls earned their ninth straight victory over the Raptors and swept the season series 4-0.
The Bulls did it with a lineup more depleted than usual. Derrick Rose (abductor strain), Pau Gasol (sore right knee) and Mike Dunleavy (stomach virus) all sat out. Fortunately, Jimmy Butler was ready to play after missing 14 of the previous 15 games with a sore left knee.
"Jimmy gives our team a big lift," coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "He gives us a boost when he's in the lineup. It was the same tonight. He gives you that defensive presence."
For some reason, the Bulls' offense clicks against Toronto. The last time these teams met on Feb. 19 in Chicago, Doug McDermott scored a career-high 30 points.
This time, McDermott had 24 points by halftime and finished with 29, hitting 9 of 11 shots overall and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. E'Twaun Moore was also locked in, hitting 8 of 11 shots for 17 points.
Nikola Mirotic added 17 points. Taj Gibson, playing center most of the night, had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Butler finished with 13 points and 6 assists in 34 minutes of action.
"Jimmy, we didn't want to play him in the first three quarters anything longer than a six-minute stint," Hoiberg said. "Save him for the fourth and let him finish the game and it worked out great."
The end of the game was nearly a disaster for the Bulls. Leading 104-96 with 2 ½ minutes remaining, they fumbled the ball a few times and watched Toronto get within 1 in the final seconds.
Butler hit 1 of 2 free throws with 5.9 seconds left to give the Bulls a 2-point lead. Toronto's DeMar DeRozan tried to drive all the way for the tying basket and almost made it, but Butler reached in and knocked the ball out of DeRozan's grasp with less than a second remaining.
The Bulls were in control most of the way after jumping to an early 13-4 advantage. The lead peaked at 13 points midway through the third quarter.
"I give them a lot of credit for coming out of the gate with the mentality they had, jumping out to an early lead," Hoiberg said. "Setting the tone early in this game was very important."
This win, coupled with Detroit's loss at Washington, moved the Bulls (33-32) back into eighth place in the East, percentage points ahead of the Pistons. The Bulls are a game-and-a-half behind Indiana for seventh place, which would probably give them the best chance of matching up with Toronto in the playoffs.
The Raptors (44-21) lost center Jonas Valanciunas early in the game with a wrist injury, but started the night with a 23-5 record since Jan. 6.
There's a chance the Bulls could have Rose and Dunleavy back on Wednesday in Washington. Gasol didn't make the trip, so he's definitely out against the Wizards.
"Every game, obviously, has so much importance," Hoiberg said. "The teams around us are winning right now. In order for us to keep pace, we have to come out and take care of business ourselves. That's been the big message the last few days."
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