The Toronto Raptors were down three starters but they still secured the victory over the Chicago Bulls 118-107.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points, 13 of them coming in the first quarter. Bruce Brown added 19 points and 7 rebounds as the Raptors snapped a season-high five-game losing streak.
Dennis Schroder chipped in with 16 points and 10 assists and Jordan Nwora scored 17 points in 19 minutes from off the bench. He showed a lot of good things in his second straight game.
The Raptors overcame a 16-point second quarter deficit and regained the lead late in the third quarter. They held on from there.
The Raptors got the Bulls lead down to 77-75 late in the third. Then Nwora converted a four-point play to give the Raptors an 83-82 lead. Nwora then followed that up with another three-pointer and a pair of free throws to give the Raptors 5-point lead.
Toronto outscored the Bulls 37-26 in the third quarter and then 28-18 in the fourth. They completely shutdown the Bulls offense in the final frame. Toronto forced Chicago to 17 turnovers.
The Raptors were missing RJ Barrett (knee swelling), Immanuel Quickley (quadriceps contusion) and Jakob Poeltl who missed his 11 straight game with an ankle sprain.
Toronto was able to win this game despite Scottie Barnes having an off night offensively. He scored just 13 points on 4-14 shooting. Barnes was also 0-3 from deep as he continues to struggle from deep.
Someone who gave the Raptors a big boost in this game was Thad Young. He had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 32 minutes. He stepped up in a big way as Toronto lost another player in Jontay Porter who left the game with back spasms.
The Raptors split the season series with the Bulls 2-2 and win in Chicago for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.
Next on tap
The Raptors continue their road trip as they travel to Houston to take on a familiar face. The Raptors square off against the Rockets and Fred VanVleet for the first time since VanVleet left Toronto in free agency.
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