Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Squandered opportunity in Toronto drops them further below the play-in line

TORONTO — The Chicago Bulls entered Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday with a golden opportunity in hand.

After plunging out of position to make the play-in tournament before the All-Star break, the Bulls (11th in the Eastern Conference) faced a chance to gain ground with a win over the ninth-place Raptors.

But fresh off the momentum of back-to-back victories, the Bulls couldn’t grind out another ugly win, failing to score more than 100 points for the fifth time in nine games in a 104-98 loss.

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• Mistakes plagued the Bulls throughout the loss as they coughed up four turnovers in the opening five minutes. The Bulls escaped real damage in the first half as the Raptors failed to capitalize on those opportunities, scoring only six points off 10 turnovers. But the Bulls gave up 10 points off six turnovers in the third quarter alone, allowing the Raptors to enter the fourth with only a two-point deficit. The Raptors finished with 21 points off 20 Bulls turnovers.
• The Bulls relied on good fortune in the first half as the Raptors shot 35.4% from the field and went 5-for-21 behind the 3-point arc. But that luck began to run out in the second half as the Raptors heated up behind the arc, going 10-for-21 in the second half to fuel a swing in momentum. The Bulls were once again unable to match their opponent from long range, finishing with 10 3-pointers in 25 attempts.
• DeMar DeRozan typically carries a chip on his shoulder into any matchup with the Raptors, but he couldn’t find footing against his former team Tuesday. O.G. Anunoby smothered DeRozan at the point of attack, subbing in and out for defensive shifts that clearly targeted the Bulls star. DeRozan finished with only 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting.

• Nikola Vučević was the only Bull who could score reliably, finishing with 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting. He made four of the Bulls’ 10 3-pointers in an attempt to offset low-scoring nights from Zach LaVine (17 points) and DeRozan.

Javonte Green remained in Chicago as he continues to recover from left knee surgery in January. Before the game, coach Billy Donovan said Green is “ramping back up” and needs to gain more comfort with lateral movements before he can be cleared for contact.

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The Bulls dropped to 28-34 to remain 11th in the East, 1½ games behind the 10th-place Washington Wizards (29-32) for the final play-in spot and 2½ behind the Raptors (31-32).

The Bulls face the Pistons on Wednesday in Detroit before returning home to play the Phoenix Suns on Friday.