NBA -- Bulls beat Raptors with 39 fourth quarter points
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 26 Mar 2015
CHICAGO -- Buried in an avalanche of 3-point shots in the first quarter, the Chicago Bulls clawed their way back to victory on Wednesday night and stunned the Toronto Raptors, 116-103, at the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors made five 3s in the opening quarter, building an early 27-14 advantage. Toronto settled with a 54-50 halftime lead and entered the fourth quarter with an 82-77 bubble.
But the final 12 minutes was all Bull.
The Bulls made 14 fourth quarter field goals and outscored their hosts 39-21. A 20-13 run with 5:47 left to play gave Chicago a 97-95 lead which it never relinquished. Pau Gasol iced the game with a pair of free throws that pushed the Bulls ahead, 114-103, 30 ticks to go.
Jimmy Butler was the high point man for Chicago with 23 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Gasol finished with 18 while Aaron Brooks had 16 and 5 assists while manning the point guard slot in the absence of Derrick Rose.
Tony Snell and Nikola Mirotic had 17 and 15 points, respectively, as Chicago shot a blistering 60.8 percent from the field (45-of-74) and 52.2 percent from long distance (12 of 23). The Bulls got outrebounded 35-31 but they had 10 more assists with 26.
After a warm start, the Raptors cooled off and settled with a 47 percent field goal clip (39-of-83). Toronto, which got 22 points from Greivis Vasquez, also made 9 of 21 triples and 16 of 19 free throws.
DeMar DeRozan tallied 20 points and Lou Williams added 18 for the Raptors, who dropped to 42-30 and fourth place in the Eastern Conference behind the 44-29 Bulls.
"We can beat anybody," Bulls guard Jimmy Butler told the Associated Press as the playoffs near.
Photo: Jimmy Butler (R) paced the Bulls with 23 points as Chicago rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors, 116-103, on Wednesday night .
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
TICKET NEWS: EUBANK JR-BENN II ON SALE FROM THIS WEDNESDAY
Wed, 17 Sep 2025“Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025