By Jeremiah Balingit
Toronto Bureau
TORONTO, Canada (Eagle News) — The Toronto Raptors ended 2018 with a win, fending off the defensively minded Chicago Bulls 95-89 on Sunday.
Kawhi Leonard finished the game with 27 points and one rebound shy of a double-double, while Pascal Siakam added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors. Lauri Markkanen led the way for the Bulls with a double-double himself, with 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Despite the win, the game summed up the recent offensive struggles the Raptors have been having. The Bulls led the first quarter by six and handed the Raptors their lowest scoring first quarter they’ve had this season.
Midway through the second and with about five minutes to play, Raptors coach Nick Nurse brought Chris Boucher into the game and he immediately made an impact. Boucher blocked Zach Lavine’s layup attempt then finished the play by making a three. The Raptors lead 40-39 to end the half.
The second half began with the Bulls gaining back the lead by making their first four shots. After a timeout and a few defensive plays, Toronto retook the lead going into the fourth.
With the score 68-65, the Raptors made two back-to-back threes from Delon Wright then Siakam and were in prime position to end the game with the win despite the pesky defense from the Bulls.
Although the Raptors closed 2018 with a win, Toronto’s offensive is still a concern going into the new year.
Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet commented when asked about Toronto’s offensive struggles.
“I don’t know, I wish I knew, I would tell you,” VanVleet said. “Obvious it has been a struggle probably the worst three quarters we’ve had all year in the last two games 19,15,14 tonight.”
(Eagle News Service)
