Raptors unable to complete miniseries sweep against Bulls

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For the Raptors to sweep through one of these Mini 2 game series, they need one more piece of gear.

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For the third time already in this young season, the Raptors faced the same opponent in back-to-back games, and for the third time, the Raptors could only get a split.

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This time it was a little different than the match at the two venues, but the win and loss were the same. He lost 111-97 in Chicago Monday night after the Raptors beat his team, the same Bulls, in Toronto.

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It’s not exactly the same as the Bulls welcomed the return of Zach LaVine, and after he missed the first game of this miniseries to rest his surgically repaired knee after the offseason, he gave the Bulls a game-best win. Giving a 30 was certainly a factor. procedure.

Fred VanVleet had another strong game in his second game after missing three contests with back pain.

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VanVleet scored a Raptors-high 27 points in the loss.

Toronto once again capped former teammate DeMar DeRozan, holding him to nine points, but LaVine had no answer.

The loss dropped the Raptors to 6-5 on the season.

The Raptors will return home Wednesday for one game against Houston before heading to a three-game trip that begins in Oklahoma City on Friday.

freddy is ready

Before VanVleet missed three games with a sore back and Pascal Siakam hurt his groin, the big problem was finding enough touch to keep everyone sharp.

Well, that hasn’t been an issue in the last few games, and Siakam’s absence isn’t expected to be for a short period of time, so it won’t be for a while.

VanVleet had already decided that in the first five games of the season he needed to hold back on scoring just to keep the peace. That was back in Miami, where all the principals were healthy.

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Players like Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., Scotty Barnes and OG Anunoby stepped in when VanVleet missed those three games.

After one game without Siakam and VanVleet running the show again, the ball is back in VanVleet’s hands and he’s been calling his number early and often.

When VanVleet was out, his attack power didn’t drop at all. Burns and Siakam largely took over point guard duties, with such success that some of the fanbase questioned the need for VanVleet.

Of course it was pure stupidity. VanVleet is not just a man who takes this attack in rhythm and flow.

He’s the best pick-and-roll defender on the team, far above the average on-ball defender.

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Beyond that, he’s the most vocal and reliable 3-point shooter of any leader on this team, not to mention his track record.

So don’t expect VanVleet to talk about taking a step back in terms of his own scoring anytime soon, or at least not until Siakam returns and fills the box score again.

And the insulting opinion that this team could do well without VanVleet would also dry up.

get stronger

Anunoby has been eating the same kinds of easy steals lately that Drake gets attention from.

No matter where Anunoby is on the floor, his big mitt pulls toward what could be every opponent’s pass, just like Drake shows up and has all the cameras in the venue pointing at him. It looks like it is

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Don’t be fooled. One is much more talented and hard-working than the other.

Anunoby isn’t exactly new when it comes to good fielding, but what’s a little new in some parts of his game is the amount of shots he’s been getting lately.

With key contributors like VanVleet first and now Siakam sidelined, it’s no surprise that these numbers go up, but that’s what Anunoby is doing with the added opportunity.

Anunoby has seen a ton of basketball, especially in the last two games. He missed Siakam in the final quarter as he suffered an 11–21 loss at Dallas without VanVleet.

Against Chicago on Sunday, Anunoby went 10-19. In his two games of three combined, he’s 11 for his 6.

If Anunoby can keep anything close to those sorts of numbers while Siakam is out, the Raptors may get through this injury without missing a beat.

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Preventive maintenance

The Raptors seem to have plans for Kem Birch and his ailing knee.

Regularly on Monday nights, the team gives Birch a night off.

Having made a jump that rookie Christian Koroko has already made this season, the Raptors have the luxury of doing just that.

With Coloco starting in place of the injured Siakam and holding down rim protection duties as he did at Block 6 on Sunday, a man like Birch could have an odd night.

Precious Achiuwa can handle seconds and minutes just fine.

The only concern is foul trouble. Coloco is still learning the art of playing strong internal defense without fouling, but he’s doing better today than he did at the beginning of the season.

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Achiuwa is also prone to foul trouble when playing as aggressively as he does.

But as long as the pair spread those fouls, the team can rest easy giving Birch the rest his chronic knee condition needs.

get cold

This is a back-to-back game in which Trent Jr. failed to register more than two three-pointers. Toronto’s most consistent shooter in his first eight games of the year, he’s only gone 7-23 in his last two games.

He still ranks second on the team with 18 points. He’s second only to Siakam with four points per game, but without Siakam, the team will need Trent Jr.’s consistency more than ever.