Hello again! Hope y’all had a nice All-Star Weekend. It’s good to be back, especially after the Chicago Bulls continued their bizarre success this season with a 94-92 win over the Toronto Raptors last night.

The Bulls, of course, hadn’t played since they beat the Brooklyn Nets six days prior, and facing the only team over .500 in the Non-Miami, Non-Indiana portion of the East, it wouldn’t have been unfair to expect the Bulls to fall flat. But, with Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back, the Bulls managed to eke out a win, even after a late surge by the Raptors.

Now then, here’s what we learned:

1. Joakim Noah, #PointCenter

Noah set a career-high with 13 assists last night, giving him 11 or more assists in 3 of his last 5 games. By way of contrast, the two actual point guards on the Bulls roster, DJ Augustin and Kirk Hinrich, combined for all of 1 assist. He had but 8 points and 4 rebounds, but nobody cares. Noah almost single-handedly keeps the Bulls offense from becoming one of the worst in history. According to 82games.com, the Bulls score 104 points per 100 possessions with Noah on the floor and just 98.3 with him off. Those numbers don’t include last night’s game, but still. That’s the difference between a league-average offense and a bottom-five offense.

2. Someone must’ve told Kirk that last night’s game was on national TV.

Lack of assists aside, Kirk scored 19 points on 8/11 from the field and 3/3 from deep, which is typically more in line with his performances in games on national TV. Though I suppose you could make the argument that TSN, which broadcasts Raptors games, qualifies as Canadian national TV. Anyway, getting credible production from Kirk goes a long way for the Bulls, especially when Mike Dunleavy can’t make anything and Tony Snell only plays 6 minutes.

Speaking of…

3. #FreeTonySnell

This is one of those things that seems less complicated than it really is. On the face of it, Snell should get maybe 20 minutes a night. The Bulls only have three wings that aren’t Toko Shengelia: Jimmy Butler, Dunleavy and Snell. And Jimmy doesn’t really need to be playing 40+ minutes every night.

But you have to keep in mind that Jimmy’s playing well right now, and when Jimmy plays well, he’s incredibly important to the Bulls. He functions as the secondary ball-handler, something approximating a spot-up threat — though we’ll get to why that’s not totally the case in a minute — and the only truly elite perimeter defender on the roster. Tom Thibodeau is loathe to take him off the floor, and it’s hard to blame him. Furthermore, when Kirk is actually shooting well, two-PG lineups with Kirk and DJ both become more prevalent and actually kind of work.

But the biggest thing is that Snell is still adjusting to the NBA and to Thibs. The fact is that Snell is a lot more likely to miss a rotation or otherwise screw up than the veterans ahead of him, and Thibs just doesn’t trust him.

That said, he absolutely should play more than 6 minutes. He’s flashed a much more diverse offensive game than we had any particular right to expect. We knew he was a good shooter, but what we did not know was that he’s a perfectly competent secondary ball-handler. He’s decisive, he passes well, his pull-up game is solid, and he’s been able to finish at the rim, going 17/27 there according to Basketball-Reference. Anecdotally, he has a nice floater when he gets into the lane but can’t get to the rim, but B-R tells me he’s shooting but 37.5 percent from 3-10 feet, which isn’t that great. Alas.

I’m very excited to see him play more next year. The combination of Derrick Rose, Snell, and Butler on a regular basis feels like an excellent fit, though obviously we’ve not really seen them play together yet. Sigh.

4. Jimmy Butler: slasher and … mid-range ace?

Jimmy had to take his first three since the Bulls beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 9 (all of three games ago) when he ended up with the ball and the shot clock winding down, but his last three games have seen him take the long ball almost completely out of his arsenal. I have mixed feelings about this, but Jimmy’s gone from sub-40 percent shooting for much of the season to above 50 percent in each of the last three games, so I’m not going to complain. What is interesting, however, is that in addition to getting to the rim more, Jimmy’s started going to a two-dribble pull-up out of the pick and roll a lot, and he’s been nailing them. I have absolutely no explanation for this.

On the one hand, if he’s going to take jumpers, you’d really prefer them to be threes, but since he’s actually making these pull-ups and wasn’t making threes at all, maybe this is better. Teams are perfectly happy to give him that shot — at least for now, we’ll see if they start trying to take it away if he continues to make it regularly — and an open shot in-rhythm is usually a good shot regardless of location. So I don’t know. I’m willing to just go with it for now.

Also, Jimmy’s just great in general:

Butler: "I don’t think I played any D tonight. DeRozan had, what, (32) points? I take pride in defense. (32) is a lot. I gotta get better."

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 20, 2014

5. Tyler Hansbrough is fairly lucky he didn’t get punched in the face.

Hands-bro has long since been an annoyance to pretty much everyone, and he was especially annoying last night. He got tangled up with Nazr Mohammed in the second quarter, when the two were fighting for rebounding position and Nazr ended up on top of him on the ground. It’s a little unclear exactly what happened — Nazr had some words for Hands-bro as he was getting up and Stacey King claimed Hands-bro pulled Nazr down, though he’s hardly an unbiased source — but Hands-bro shoved Nazr, touching off a scrum, then went to the tried and true “I’m being held back so I’m going to yell and look angry and generally try to seem tough” move. Later, he and Mike Dunleavy got tangled up on yet another rebound, and Hands-bro literally tackled Dunleavy. Somehow, this resulted in a double-foul.

Tyler Hansbrough just tried to put Mike Dunleavy in a fireman's carry.

— Brian Schroeder (@Cosmis) February 20, 2014

Anyway, that’s all I got. Bulls are off tonight, but they’ll host the Denver Nuggets on Friday on ESPN.

The post Chicago Bulls 94, Toronto Raptors 92: What did we learn? appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The Bulls shot 36 percent from the field and amassed just 77 points, their fourth sub-80 point game in their last four and third consecutive loss.

It was awful from top to bottom – Toronto led early on and never really looked like being tested by a Bulls team short on scoring.

Toronto is openly, unabashedly tanking and yet the Bulls made them look like a team capable of earning a top-4 seed in the playoffs. Chicago desperately needs some time off to collect their thoughts, recover from the numerous nagging aches and pains and somehow find a way to rally.

The game was never truly out of Toronto’s hands – they led by 10 at halftime and held the Bulls scoreless through the first three minutes of the third quarter – being renamed the turd quarter for the Bulls – as they broke the game open.

Chicago gamely tried to make a comeback with Jimmy Butler connecting from behind the arc before Joakim Noah added two quick buckets. D.J. Augustin made his only shot of the night as the Bulls pulled within ten as the end of the quarter approached.

From there however, the Raptors stabilized the gap, maintaining a lead that never fluctuated much until late in the fourth quarter when a quick burst sent them clear for good.

Luol Deng returned from his latest injury to lead all scorers with 17 points, though he took 19 shots and failed to crack 20 points for the first time in six games. Carlos Boozer was simply awful tonight, finishing with eight points on 18 shots and failing to get to the free-throw line in 27 minutes.

Mike Dunleavy returned to the bench after Friday’s heroics in Milwaukee and shot a dismal 1-6 from behind the arc, finishing with 14 points on 5-12 shooting.

Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 16 points while DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas and Amier Johnson combined for 44 points, each scoring in double figures. Only Terrence Ross (4-12) shot under 50 percent among the Raptors’ starters.

New Bull D.J. Augustin also endured a cold shooting night, hitting one of his seven shots (a three in the fourth quarter), though he finished with 6 assists and zero turnovers, respectable considering he has yet to spend time learning the offense or tendencies of his team-mates.

Marquis Teague, who did not play in Milwaukee, was promoted into the starting lineup and was at least aggressively attacking the hoop and creating some kind of offense. Teague has proven a pesky defender and this trait is keeping him on the court for the time being.

Without sounding too extreme, the Bulls need to produce some kind of uptick in performance soon. The calls to trade Luol Deng and at least attempt to find a partner for Carlos Boozer’s contract are growing with every disheartening defeat such as this.

The post Bulls 77, Raptors 99: Another horrific loss appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Chicago has gone through the stages since Rose went down in Portland several weeks ago.

There was a blowout loss in Los Angeles while the team and the fanbase refused to accept the idea Rose was gone for the year. Anger arrived with the news of Derrick’s torn meniscus, fans fumed at the perceived unfairness of yet another lost season especially in what was billed as ‘the year’ for this core to make its championship run.

Bargaining came in the form of hoping Rose might return earlier than next season. That didn’t last as the team announced he was shelved for the remainder. Depression has continued, however, with a loss to one of the worst teams in the NBA in Utah and a meek home loss to Detroit. That barren run was punctuated by a morale-lifting win against the Heat.

The boost didn’t last long as another home defeat against Milwaukee sent this team to a new low and a third sub-80 point performance in New York confirmed the scale of the problem.

Now comes acceptance.

Mike Dunleavy sunk a game-winning three to rescue a win from the brink of defeat in Milwaukee Friday night. Yet again, the Bulls struggled to score points against another contender for the number one pick in the draft in June.

Joakim Noah has been inconsistent most of the season as he nurses injuries but picked the Bulls up off the deck by tying up Gary Neal to force a jump-ball that led to Dunleavy’s banked winner.

Tonight the Bulls head back home to host the Toronto Raptors. Toronto comes into the United Center with a very different rotation than they had just three weeks ago. Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy were all sent south to Sacramento in return for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.

The trade ultimately got Rudy Gay’s bloated salary off the deck and brought in another competent point guard in Vasquez. GM Masai Ujiri has now traded away Gay and Andrea Bargnani’s combined $60 million in owed salary while bringing in multiple future draft picks and assets that can be flipped again before the deadline for yet more picks or salary flexibility.

Kyle Lowry still runs the show exceptionally well north of the border but expect his name to continue to appear in trade gossip columns now the Raptors have a surplus of point guards on the roster. Practically anyone not named Jonas can be had at the right price of expiring deals and future assets.

Amir Johnson detonated on the Lakers in Kobe’s return game last week, pouring in 32 points on a variety of post moves and mid-range shots while also pulling down 10 rebounds in a frightening display of all-round ability. DeMar DeRozan added 26 points himself in his first game freed from the ‘your-turn-my-turn’ offense he and Gay shared.

Toronto comes to Chicago on the back of a 108-100 win at home against Philadelphia, though they are embracing tanking for the top pick this summer. DeRozan scored 27 and Terrence Ross had 24 including the game-icing three pointer in the final minute that let Toronto pull out the victory.

The post Chicago Bulls vs Toronto Raptors Preview: The Five Stages of Grief appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

From Flickr via Compscigrad

Playing without Derrick Rose for the first time in six game—an entire six game!—the Bulls capitalized on an ugly shooting night from all but one of the Raptors to claim their first road win of the year and avoid starting 0-4 away from home for the first time in five years.

With about five minutes left in the second quarter, the Raptors were shooting 21.9 percent from the floor. Toronto ended up shooting 25.6 percent for the half and was 2-17 from mid-range and 0-7 from deep. That is eight percent shooting from outside of the paint.

But the Bulls couldn’t pull away—leading by just 14 at the break—because they weren’t much better. Chicago shot 6-17 from midrange and 0-4 from three, which translates to a whopping 28.5 percent.

By the end of the third though it was a 20-point game, which, considering the Raptors’ shooting, was about an insurmountable as you can get. DeMar DeRozan kept the Raptors somewhat close, but with no one else able to help him out, the Bulls were able to walk out with a victory. DeRozan tallied 37 points on 22 shots. Derozan hit 13 shots while the rest of the Raptors combined for 16 made field goals.

It was a strong step forward on the road for the Bulls, who were 0-3 away from the United Center on the year and had been giving up 103.7 points per contest. It came against a team though that was ranked 25^th in the league in field goal percentage through Thursday.

It was another nice game for Carlos Boozer, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, with much of that damage coming early. Every Bulls starter scored in double figures, led by Luol Deng, who scored a team-high 19. Lu hit two threes tonight, after going 1-18 from deep in the first six games of the year. That can only mean one thing: Derrick Rose kills your three-point percentage.

It wasn’t easy on the eyes, but the Bulls grabbed a win without their best player. It’s not unusual though, as they don’t have anything to prove after playing without Derrick Rose all last season. They made it to the second round of the playoffs with their home-grown point guard on the sideline and that’s their peak if Kirk Hinrich has to start.

What they need now is a healthy Derrick Rose. They need Rose back in the line-up to give Derrick the opportunity to continue making steps back to his MVP level. The next chance for that is Saturday night against the undefeated Pacers. The Bulls lost by 17 to Indy in the first matchup of the year, but Chicago is 3-0 at home.

The post Recap: Bulls 96, Raptors 80 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The Good:
The Bulls won for the sixth time in their last eight games, pushed their Eastern Conference-leading road record to 11-5, and stayed hot on the heels of the Indiana Pacers for the Central Division lead.

The Bad:
Instead of taking care of business against a bad team — and Toronto (14-25) is a bad team — the Bulls wasted a 19-point lead and allowed the Raptors to score 56 points in the second half to force overtime.

The Ugly:
The Bulls defense on Alan Anderson and Kyle Lowry was laughable. Anderson nailed four three-pointers and scored 27 on 10-for-18 shooting. Lowry had 26 points on 8-for-15 from the field and 8-for-11 from the foul line. Those two were the biggest reasons Toronto’s bench outscored Chicago’s reserves 66-18.

At times, Anderson and Lowry single-handedly kept the Raptors in the game. They combined for 14 points in the second quarter and 17 points in the fourth.

At first, I blamed Nate Robinson for letting Lowry explode in the second quarter. But, honestly, Kirk Hinrich looked nearly as helpless. What’s more, Lowry used his acting skills to bait both Hinrich and Robinson into untimely fouls.

The Bulls couldn’t figure out how to contain Lowry on high pick and rolls. And this wasn’t the first time an opponent took advantage of that particular tactic.

Lowry was getting to the rim and drawing fouls at will…even when the Bulls were clearly expecting him to drive. It almost cost them the game.

Outworked and Outhustled:
After Rip Hamilton hit the second of back-to-back threes with 4:28 left in the third quarter, the Bulls were up 76-57 and appeared to be on their way to an easy win.

From that point until the end of regulation, Toronto outscored Chicago 43-24. During that stretch, the Raptors hit three three-pointers and five shots at the rim, pulled down 8 offensive rebounds, and earned 22 trips to the free throw line. They also held the Bulls to 7-for-27 shooting.

The Raptors were more aggressive and determined over the last 16 minutes or so of regulation. They stymied the Bulls with physical play. It was what I would call a “soft” finish for the good guys.

Missing in Action:
Rip Hamilton was 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from downtown for 15 points in 18 minutes and a plus-minus score of +11. However, he was subbed out late in the third quarter and never returned. It was an interesting decision, considering how poorly the Bulls were shooting, and  Marco Belinelli in particular (2-for-9).

Key Stats:
The Bulls outscored the Raptors 54-36 in the paint.

The Bulls gave up 21 points off 14 turnovers and allowed the Raptors to score at a rate of 108.4 points per 100 possessions.

Both teams combined to miss 19 free throws — 10 bricks by the Bulls and nine by the Raptors — including several crucial misses in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls were 3-for-13 from three-point range.

Player of the Game:
Carlos Boozer. He was the team’s offense in the first half — Boozer scored 25 points in the first 24 minutes — and he finished with a season-best 36 points. He shot 16-for-24 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He also pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. He had a team-best plus-minus score of +20.

Boozer has been on fire lately. In eight games this month, he’s averaging 24 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

And actually, Boozer is quietly having a terrific season. He has 21 double-doubles, which is first in the East and fifth overall. He leads the Bulls in Player Efficiency Rating (18.9), Defensive Rebounding Percentage (27.2) and Total Rebounding Percentage (18.1). He’s second on the team in Offensive Win Shares (1.8), Defensive Win Shares (2.1) and Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (.148).

Bulls fans sometimes complain about Boozer’s contract…but he’s earning his money right now.

Clutch Player of the Game:
Luol Deng. He didn’t shoot well (6-for-14), but he finished with 19 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, and he made several key plays:

5:00 left in the fourth: Knocked down a three-pointer to put the Bulls up 93-86.
4:28 left in the fourth: Hit a 12-footer to put the Bulls up 95-89.
2:15 left in the fourth: Found Boozer for a layup to put the Bulls up 97-93.
1:22 left in the fourth: Attacked the basket against Alan Anderson’s aggressive defense, drew the foul, and knocked down both free throws to put the Bulls up 99-95.
0:03 left in overtime: Drilled a 18-footer to win the game.

That game-winner was huge.

Said Joakim Noah: “He told me even before he hit the shot. He said, ‘Let’s go home, man. I’m going to hit this shot and let’s go home.’ Yeah, his swag is crazy.”

Added Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: “That’s what he does. Whatever you need. You need great defense? He does that. You need rebounding in traffic? He does that. You need a big shot? He does that. Move well without the ball, run the floor — to me that’s who he is. That’s what makes him such a good player.”

And what does the man himself think?

Said Deng: “I think it’s just maturing and being in the league for a while now. I know what I can do and what I can’t do. When it comes to last minutes in a game, I’m not as nervous or worried about what I’m going to do as I used to [be]. It’s a few things that I do well, and I’m going to stick to that. At the end of the game, just stick to my game. Never get out of character. Close game or not a close game, just keep staying the same way.”

Rough Outing for Taj:
Gibson was 3-for-9 from the field and had only 4 rebounds and zero blocked shots before fouling out in only 18 minutes of action. Worse, the Bulls were outscored by 14 points while he was on the floor.

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Advanced Box Score, Play-by-Play, Shot Chart.

The post Game Recap: Bulls 107, Raptors 105 (OT) appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

About the Author:
Braedan Ritter was born and raised in Pennsylvania but was swayed by gifts from his aunt to follow the Chicago sports teams. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls had a guy named Michael Jordan playing for them, and the Sixers had…Derrick Coleman. Braedan has stuck with Chicago through thick and thin, and really thin (see: Chicago Cubs). And speaking of Coleman, Braedan is currently a student at Syracuse University.

The post Raptors-Bulls Preview appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Joakim Noah’s return was supposed to mean great things for the Bulls. Darkness was going to become sunlight and pure evil was supposed to transform into delicious candy. The blind would see and the lame would walk.

Instead, the Bulls were beaten by a Raptors team that had lost 18 of its last 20 games.

It’s not like Noah didn’t play well. He scored 7 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds (9 offensive) in his first 24 minutes and 36 seconds of playing time since the Bulls beat the Raptors in Toronto back on December 15.

But Chicago’s defense — which began the day ranked first in Defensive Efficiency and ended the night ranked second — was as out of synch as it’s been all season. The Raptors shot 58.1 percent from the field. That was a season-high for Bulls opponents. Toronto’s 118 points were the second-most the Bulls have surrendered this season.

The fact that the Raptors put up so many points without hitting a single three-pointer (0-for-5) highlights just how awful the Bulls D really was.

Toronto had 29 assists, went 32-for-34 at the line and scored 58 points in the paint.

Let’s face it: Everybody thought Noah’s return would improve the team’s defense. At absolute worst, it should have been a zero-sum situation, right?

Instead, the Bulls looked like they had never stopped anybody from doing anything ever. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out the players returned to the locker room to find their clothes and wallets gone. And then flew back to Chicago to discover their cars had been broken. Their locks changed at home. Their identities stolen.

Or maybe that was just their defensive identities.

Hey, coach Thibodeau: What went wrong?

“What didn’t?” he said. “Every aspect. Start with defensive transition, keeping the ball out of the paint, challenging shots. Every aspect of our defense went out the window. Offensively we scored more, but defensively it was a disaster.”

Added Derrick Rose: “Defensively, we just weren’t there. When we needed stops towards the end, we just couldn’t get it. You know us, towards the end that’s when our defense gets better, but tonight we just didn’t have it tonight, but we play [Thursday].”

Rose is right. The Bulls usually clamp down on teams in the second half. That never happened last night. The Raptors scored 30 points in the third quarter and another 33 points in the fourth.

Chicago actually took an 86-85 lead when Rose nailed a three with 11:15 to go in the game. But then Toronto started pouring in the points. Andrea Bargnani hit a shot at the rim, got fouled and converted the three-point play. Bargs added a couple more free throws on his team’s next possession. Sonny Weems connected on a short jumper and then a couple foul shots. Leandro Barbosa and Amir Johnson scored on consecutive possessions. DeMar DeRosen hit from 14 feet out. Barbosa got a layup and a 20-footer on back-to-back possessions and then converted a three-point play of his own about a minute later to put the Raptors up 107-100 with 2:48 left.

Then Rose — who scored 19 of his game-high 32 points in the final 12 minutes — scored a quick seven points (four freebies and a triple) to tie the game with 1:59 to go. Then DeRozen scored at the rim again. Then Rose tied it again with a driving layup. Then DeRozen drew a foul (on Rose) and hit both foul shots to put Toronto up by a couple. Then Rose drew a foul and hit his free throws to tie the game yet again. Then DeRozen drew another foul (on Carlos Boozer) and once again made both free throws.

After that, Rose finally missed (from 20 feet) and then Johnson hit yet another layup with 16 seconds left. Amir followed that up by blocking Derrick’s driving layup attempt with 12 tick on the clock. That pretty much sealed it.

So, no, the Bulls never could get a defensive stop at the end. Or…ever.

In all, the Raptors went 5-for-5 on dunks and 17-for-21 on layup attempts. According to Hoopdata, the Bulls usually hold their opponents to a 61.7 percent conversion rate at the rim. That number ranks 10th in the league. Last night, Toronto converted well over 80 percent of their shots at the rim. Basically, Chicago did everything short of laying out a welcome mat and personally escorting the Raptors to the hoop.

It’s such a waste. The Bulls are right there with the top teams in the East (and the league), but a disappointing collection of losses to sub-.500 teams (Bobcats, Clippers, Nets, Raptors, Sixers and Warriors) is going to haunt them down the final stretch. Hell, it’s haunting them now.

And please tell me: If the Bulls can’t stop Andrea Bargnani (24 points), DeMar DeRozen (24 points) and Amir Johnson (17 points on 8-for-8 shooting), how in the world are they going to slow down LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh tonight?

Said Rose: “I really don’t know [what went wrong defensively]. You’ve got to look at film, miscommunication, it was just our lack of energy on [the defensive] end. And we all know we can’t play like that. Thank God that we play tomorrow so that we can come out and play aggressive throughout the whole game and get back in rhythm.”

Added Boozer: “We learn from everything we do. We learn from practices, and obviously, games as well. We know for us, this is an offensive type of team and we played their game. We’ve got to make teams play our style of basketball and we’ve done a pretty good job of that all season. Tonight, we didn’t do a good job of that and it came back to kick us in the butt. We learn from this and we’ve got to hang our hat on the defensive side of the ball. We had plenty of points to win, but we gave up 118 and that’s not like us.”

He’s not wrong. And the Bulls don’t have many hours left to find themselves.

Revenge Game:
Okay, fine. James Johnson played well against the Bulls. In 26 minutes, he scored 9 points (2-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line) to go with 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. He also finished with a better plus-minus score (+9) than anybody on Chicago’s current roster.

I’m sure Raptors fans have to be thinking “If J.J. can play like this every night, we got ourselves a player!” Well, sorry, Raptors fans. J.J. can’t play like that every night and he won’t. That’s why the Bulls traded him.

TrueHoop Network:
Raptors Republic: “The 3rd quarter was really where the game was won. It gave the underdog belief that they were better on this night, and the team rode that confidence right till the end. Boozer couldn’t shot over Bargnani and wasn’t able to get around him on a few possessions. Amir Johnson gave him fits as well. Derrick Rose, who seemed like he was deferring to his teammates, was quiet. Let’s please give Jose Calderon some credit for not giving him space to shoot until that point. Rose did eventually go off in the fourth, but he got hot against Bayless to start the quarter.”

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Play-By-Play, Shot Chart, Photos.

The post Game 55 Recap: Raptors 118, Bulls 113 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.

Raptors Injury Report:
Reggie Evans: right foot surgery (out indefinitely)
Linas Kleiza: right knee surgery (out for season)

Overview:
He’s back. Joakim Noah will make his long awaited return tonight against the Raptors. After forever it seems, (30 games and more than two months) Noah is healed enough from thumb surgery to return to the court. Even without their defensive and spiritual leader, the Bulls went 22-8, and are second in defensive rating (just 0.3 points behind the Boston Celtics in that category).

It’s easy to say the Bulls did well in the absence of Joakim, but he was missed. Credit must be given to the Bulls for doing so well when he was out. Kurt Thomas stepped up. Omer Asik and Taj Gibson played well. Rose kept up his MVP level. But Kurt Thomas can only get some many minutes and so many blatant fouls before it really starts to wear on him.

There were definitely times that Noah was needed. It’s hard to believe the Bulls would’ve lost back to back games against the Nets and 76ers with Noah on the court. Those games were mental lapses, and Jo’s energy doesn’t allow for those. Even when out he showed that energy, as he transformed into a freakishly tall cheerleader. He has rivaled Brian Scalabrine as the most energetic bench high-fiver this year — a feat that may rival his 14 points and 11.7 rebounds per game when on the court this season.

Noah’s last game actually came against the Raptors in a win. In 26 minutes, Noah scored 11 points and grabbed 11 boards in a 110-93 victory. And remember, Noah was putting up All-Star numbers before he went down, and was playing with only one hand for a little while, before getting the surgery.

This will be the tenth game this season that Chicago’s frontcourt of Noah and Carlos Boozer will play together. The Bulls were 7-2 in those games, losing only the first two to Orlando and Boston.

Too much shouldn’t be expected of Noah tonight though, as he hasn’t played a game in more than 60 days. “I don’t know how he’s going to respond once he’s out there,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’ll see how he is. Obviously, we’ll try to get him up to starters minutes as quickly as possible. It’ll be similar to what Carlos went through — each game a little bit more — and I think once they start playing, they’ll come around pretty quickly.”

But really, he shouldn’t be needed too much in this game.

Toronto is struggling to say the least this year. Their best player skipped town leaving them with huge question marks all over and struggling to find an identity. Their only participant they had in All-Star weekend was DeMar DeRozan (Rookie-Sophomore game and Dunk contest). They have a better chance of winning the lottery than winning most match-ups this year.

Add to that the Raptors are playing on the second night of a back-to-back. They are 4-8 on the second night of back-to-back games this year. The Bulls on the other hand, are 7-5 on the first night of back-to-back.

Plus, Chicago has already beaten the Raptors twice this year, by an average of 18.5 points.

The Raptors allow opponents to shoot 48.4% against them, the bottom of the barrel in that category. While Chicago holds opponents to a stingy 92.4 points (2nd in the league to, you guessed it, the Celtics).

The Bulls have gone into each game against Toronto with a winning streak (streaks of 6 and 4). They are currently riding a 4 game streak. But each time after Chicago disposed of Toronto, they dropped their next game.

Hopefully the Bulls will go up early, so their starters can sit and will be well rested for tomorrow night’s game against the Heat. But let’s also hope the Bulls aren’t looking ahead to tomorrow night’s showdown with the Miami Heat, and forget about tonight’s match-up.

According to Stats LLC: “The Raptors are 5-31 when they score 101 points or fewer. Just four of the Bulls’ last 36 opponents have scored that many points.”

About the Author:
Braedan Ritter was born and raised in Pennsylvania but was swayed by gifts from his aunt to follow the Chicago sports teams. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls had a guy named Michael Jordan playing for them, and the Sixers had…Derrick Coleman. Braedan has stuck with Chicago through thick and thin, and really thin (see: Chicago Cubs). And speaking of Coleman, Braedan is currently a student at Syracuse University.

The post Bulls-Raptors Preview appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The Bulls dominated pretty much every meaningful statistical category. They shot 53 percent from the field. They won the rebounding battle 44-33 (including a 13-8 advantage on the offensive glass). They had 20 fast break points. They outscored the Raptors 58-38 in the paint. Chicago’s bench outscored Toronto’s reserves 52-22.

If you check the Basketball-Reference box score, you’ll see that the Bulls swept the Four Factors and finished with an Offensive Rating of 118 and a Defensive Rating of 96.8.

Coach Tom Thibodeau got strong play out of the usual suspects, by which I mean Derrick Rose (19 points, 7-for-11, 6 assists), Carlos Boozer (12 points and 13 rebounds) and Luol Deng (a game-high 24 points). But the bench made the biggest difference.

Chicago’s reserves actually had a triple-double of 52 points, 26 rebounds and 11 assists. Ronnie Brewer had a strong game (12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) and Taj Gibson finally broke out of his post-concussion slump (16 points, 8-for-11, a game-high 14 rebounds). Gibson attacked the boards and the rim in addition to playing great defense. And then there was Omer Asik (career-high 13 points, 5-for-6, 7 rebounds, 5 blocked shots).

Asik’s numbers only tell part of the story. He came up huge during the pivotal second quarter, during which the Bulls outscored the Raptors 30-14. Omer took advantage of a mismatch against Leandro Barbosa and hit a layup. He fed Luol Deng for a layup that just beat the shot clock. He grabbed rebounds at both ends. He blocked and intimidated shots. And even when Asik wasn’t making plays around the ball, he was moving, setting picks, getting into excellent position.

Asik is a smart basketball player and he works hard. He played great last night. Almost everybody on the bench did.

Said Boozer: “Most times, games are close and they don’t get a chance to play like this. But in games like this, you see just how talented they are. You see how talented Taj is, you see how talented O is. The more time you get, the better you become. These guys are stud players.”

The best part is that the Bulls — who play tonight in New Jersey as part of four games in five nights — were able to rest Rose and Boozer during the fourth quarter.

Or maybe the best part is Chicago’s record (23-10). The Bulls have now won five straight and 14 of their last 16 games. They are now 18-1 against sub-.500 teams.

And here’s more good news if you can believe it: According to ESPNChicago’s Nick Friedell, Joakim Noah has started working out with the team. Noah’s cast will come off next week.

Said Noah: “I’ve been running. I’ve been doing some conditioning and doing some lifting. A lot of core work. A lot of leg strengthening. It’s hard to make everything game-like. There’s nothing like playing in a basketball game. There’s nothing you can do to simulate a basketball game. But I’m doing the best I can, even with a cast on.”

Things just keep getting better.

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Play-By-Play, Shot Chart, Photos.

The post Game 33 Recap: Bulls 111, Raptors 91 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.

Overview:
The Raptors are in a funk, having lost 11 of their last 14 games. And their three wins have come against the Pistons (11-23), Nets (9-25) and the Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavericks.

In all fairness, their most recent losses have come while playing without some of their starters. Leading scorer Andrea Bargnani has missed the last four games with a sore left calf. Jerryd Bayless missed Toronto’s last game due to a sprained left ankle. And Sonny Weems has missed the last seven games with back spasms.

That said, Bargnani and Bayless are expected to play against the Bulls tonight. However, Weems is expected to miss the game and starting point guard Jose Calderon is questionable with a sprained ankle.

There’s no question that the Raptors will be better with Bargnani and Bayless in uniform. But in Bargnani’s case, conditioning may be an issue.

Said Toronto coach Jay Triano: “We have to find a way to get (Bargnani’s) rhythm back and get him in. It may be short spurts. He’s tried to maintain his conditioning through this, but it’s nothing compared with games.”

Now, believe it or not, the Raptors have been on a roll against the Bulls in Chicago. The dinosaurs have won five of their last six games in the United Center, including the last three in a row. According to STATS LLC, Toronto has averaged 107.2 PPG while holding Chicago to 93.2 PPG during that stretch. Over the last three of those games, Derrick Rose has scored 13.7 points and shot 42.9 percent.

Of course, the Raptors haven’t played in Chicago since losing Chris Bosh. Or, for that matter, since Carlos Boozer started suiting up for the Bulls. So perhaps only recent history matters. When the Bulls played in Toronto on December 15th, Rose struggled in the scoring department (6 points on 3-for-9 shooting), but he had 11 assists as Chicago shot 53 percent as a team and won 110-93.

However, Bargnani didn’t play in that game. So there’s that.

The key to this game is that the Raptors are a terrible defensive team, one of the worst in the league. As long as they’re patient and execute their offense, the Bulls should be able to get any shot they want. Chicago’s biggest concern should be protecting the offensive glass, since Toronto is ranked fourth in Offensive Rebound Percentage. And the Bulls are ranked only 14th in Defensive Rebound Percentage (.747), making them roughly average. Particularly in Joakim Noah’s absence.

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