Bulls Topple Raptors, 105-94

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Toronto Raptors, 105-94, at United Center on
Tuesday. The Bulls (27-29) had looked rather hapless on Sunday against the
Timberwolves while playing with a significantly short-handed squad. Jimmy
Butler, Dwyane Wade, Nikola Mirotic and Paul Zipser all missed that contest, and
matters didn’t look much more optimistic heading into Tuesday’s tilt. However,
Butler was able to ultimately make a return from his heel injury, and his
presence unsurprisingly made a considerable impact. The star forward posted a
19-point, 12-assist double-double that also included two rebounds and four
steals over a full allotment of 38 minutes, and Doug McDermott actually led
Chicago with a 20-point effort off the bench. The Bulls also overcame 17
turnovers by shooting a solid 47.9 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from
three-point range. The Raptors (32-24) were led by Kyle Lowry, who produced 22
points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal. DeMar DeRozan followed with
18 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal. Norman Powell generated
13 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals. Jonas Valanciunas posted a
near double-double of 12 points and nine boards. Cory Joseph was productive as a
reserve as well with 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
McDermott added five rebounds and one assist to his aforementioned team-high
scoring total. Taj Gibson managed 14 points and four boards. Rajon Rondo was
next with 12 points, four assists and three rebounds. Cristiano Felicio supplied
10 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals. Michael Carter-Williams and
Robin Lopez registered matching eight-point efforts on the starting five. The
Raptors head back home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday evening, while
the Bulls remain home to take on the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.