Raptors handle business early against Bulls

There are some nights in the NBA where the gap in talent is so insurmountable, it looks like the two teams don’t belong in the same league. It’s one thing to win a game, and it’s another thing to dominate a game, and last night, Toronto dominated. After two impressive back-to-back clutch wins over the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons, where Toronto had to dig deep and execute well on both ends at the end of the game, they made short work of the ailing Chicago Bulls. A win like this is a refreshing sight for Toronto, after what has been a tumultuous couple weeks for them. No starter played over 29 minutes last night, the game just looked easy for Toronto, and they did not give the Bulls any hope.

Early on in the game, Toronto made sure to put Chicago in a vice grip, sending digs on every drive, filling and replacing so Chicago’s path to the rim was impeded at every step. Chicago often had to settle for three-point looks from middling shooters because Toronto’s defensive gameplan forced them to. Chicago simply did not have the on-ball scoring that was needed to get Toronto out of position defensively and capitalize on it.

RJ Barrett exploded in the first quarter, knocking down multiple triples, and using his bruising strength to barge his way to the basket. Chicago had no defenders who could hold up physically against Toronto’s drives, so Toronto practically got to the rim at will. Barrett finished the game with 23 points which led Toronto, and he did it in a pretty carefree way. Knocking down his catch and shoot triples as well as stomping his way into the paint.

Jakob Poeltl looked very healthy in this outing, and in the second quarter he rolled to the rim and rose up for a dunk that covered some great distance. Poeltl battled on the offensive glass, got his hands dirty in the paint and simply outclassed Chicago’s frontcourt, namely Nick Richards. The second quarter was where Immanuel Quickley decided to join the fun as well. Quickley had 10 points in the second period, which included a dazzling spinning fadeaway over Rob Dillingham. Once again, Chicago just did not have the defenders to stop Toronto from running any action, or from containing Toronto’s players in one on one situations.

Brandon Ingram, who has been Toronto’s go-to scorer this season, did exactly that. He scored in the way that he has been scoring all season long, through mid-range shots, whether he was running off an off-ball screen, or facing up at the elbow. Usually, Ingram takes a good amount of contested jumpers, but last night he was able to get free due to Chicago’s lack of focus when chasing him through screens. Matas Buzelis would be tasked with guarding Ingram, but when he had to stick with him through a screen he would get lost and give Ingram the separation he needed to comfortably rise up for and sink a jumper. Ingram only took 7 shots, made 6 of them, and finished the game with 18 points.

Scottie Barnes led Toronto’s defense, as is always the case, but his offensive process was as smooth as it’s ever been. Barnes did his best Hakeem Olajuwon impression and put in multiple beautiful mid-range fadeaway jumpers over the outstretched arms of various Bulls defenders. Barnes would shake left, turn over his right shoulder, get some gorgeous arc on his jumper and knock it down. Barnes ended the game with 18 points, and like his co-stars, he did it with relative ease.

Blowout games open up opportunities for bench players and young guys to get some extended run and a chance to try some things out. Ja’Kobe Walter took full advantage of his opportunity last night, and he showed the fruits of his development. His attention to detail off the ball was great, he recognized where he had to shift to on the three-point line in order to get himself open, and he knocked the triples that came after it. He also had a really strong cut after rejecting the second screen in a staggered screen action, which freed him up for an open layup right under the rim. Walter was relentless in his effort to get to the rim, and he earned himself 9 free throws, of which, he made 8. Walter showed off some great tertiary player skills last night, skills that will lead to him lasting a long time in this league.

This game was a blowout early on, and unlike what they’ve done in past games, Toronto never let up on their lead. Hopefully extra rest Toronto got last night aids them in their upcoming matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Friday.