The Raptors are sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and just lost to a Bulls team without Dwyane Wade and Nikola Mirotic. It should have been a chance for the Raptors to get on track before the All-Star break but they’ve now lost three games in a row. It’s been a rough new year for the Raptors, a team that was once a clear front runner for second place in the East. They’ve battled through injuries as best they could but it hasn’t been enough. The three game losing streak they’re on now isn’t great but they also had a five game losing streak in January. The Raptors are just not in a good place right now and need to get out of this current funk they’re in.
NBA scores 2017: The Raptors are still sliding in the wrong direction
Hopefully the addition of Serge Ibaka will be what they need.
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
It doesn’t help that while the Raptors are in a downward spiral, they also cannot beat the Bulls. This is the 11th straight time Raptors have lost to Chicago dating back to 2013.
It was not a great night for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. They went a combined 13-of-36 from the floor and DeRozan was eventually ejected towards the end of the game for complaining to the referees. The Raptors, as a team, only hit five three-pointers all night, four of which came from Lowry.
The Raptors can hope that the trade they made on Tuesday will breathe some life into a struggling team. The Raptors sent Terrence Ross and a first-round pick in exchange for Serge Ibaka. It was clear on Tuesday a power forward is needed for this team and Ibaka fills that role. It’s now or never for the Raptors to try and keep pace in the Eastern Conference.
Jimmy Butler returns
Jimmy Butler returned from injury Tuesday night for the Bulls. Defensively, he limited DeRozan all night long. On offense, he couldn’t get much going, shooting just 2-of-10 from the field but made up for it other areas. He went 15-of-19 from the free-throw line and also handed out 12 assists.
Andrew Wiggins had 41 points against the Cavaliers
He always seems to play well against the team that drafted him. He also had a nice buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter. The Cavaliers pulled away at the end but it was a nice effort from the Timberwolves.
LeBron James had another ridiculous pass
It seems like every night James is making another great pass, but this may be his best of all. He went no look, between-the-legs, from distance.
Lance Stephenson with a vintage Lance Stephenson move
Stephenson was playing great in this game before going down with a sprained ankle. We’re hoping he can return to the court soon.
Scores
Cavaliers 116, Timberwolves 108 (Fear the Sword recap | Canis Hoopus recap)
Bulls 105, Raptors 94 (Blog A Bull recap | Raptors HQ recap)
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