Raptors vs. Bulls: DeRozan and the Bulls hold off Raptors valiant comeback effort

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Benyam Kidane
and others
• 7 min read
Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors)

The Toronto Raptors' fourth-quarter rally fell short, going down 111-108 to the Chicago Bulls. 

After trailing by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, they sent it right down to the wire with a big defensive effort down the stretch, with Fred VanVleet missing a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. 

Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan led the visitors with 26 points, six assists and four rebounds, while Zach LaVine added 22 points as the Bulls get off to a 4-0 start to the season for the first time since 1996-97.

Fred VanVleet was pulling the strings for the Raptors, recording a career-high 17 assists to go with 15 points, while OG Anunoby led six players in double figures with 22 points. 

If you missed any of the action, we've got you covered with all the live updates, highlights and stats from tonight's game.

Raptors vs. Bulls score

  1 2 3 4 Final
Raptors 24 27 29 28 108
Bulls 24 37 31 19 111

Raptors vs. Bulls live updates, highlights

FINAL: Bulls 111, Raptors 108

- VanVleet nearly ties it up at the buzzer, but his 3-pointer is long. Bulls win. 

- Dragic races back to stop the Bulls fastbreak. Nurse challenges the call but it will stay with the Bulls. Here we go.

- Barnes steals it off the Bulls inbound in the backcourt and dunks it home. Two-point ball game!! Can they complete the comeback?

- DeRozan sucks the air out of the arena with a clutch mid-range fadeaway to put the Bulls back in. front bu six.

The Raptors reuse to lay down!

- We have a ball game! The defensive effort sparks a 13-2 run, capped off by an Anunoby triple and the lead is down to four points with 5:09 remaining.

- The Raptors have turned up the heat defensively forcing the Bulls into some wayward passes. They need to keep getting stops here.

- SCOTTIE BARNES!

The rookie spins into the lane and slams home the emphatic jam to cut it to 95-84 early in the fourth. 

End of third quarter: Bulls 92, Raptors 80

The Raptors trail by 12 heading into the final frame, with their 15 turnovers proving costly. Chicago is outscoring them 21-4 in points off turnovers. Can they claw back in the fourth?

- The Raptors are out and running in the third!

- DeRozan nearly throws down one of the dunks of the year, euro-stepping to the hoop and rising up before the ball rattles out. 

- Here come the Raptors! Trent Jr.'s third triple of the night caps a 7-0 run.

- DeRozan putting on the moves!

- The Bulls start the third on a 12-2 run to make it a 20-point lead behind buckets from LaVine, Ball and DeRozan.

Half-time: Bulls 61, Raptors 51

Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic turned it on in the second quarter and both have 12 points at the break to help put the Bulls in front by 10.

Trent Jr. has 12  points, while Anunoby has 10 points and five dimes. VanVleet is pulling the strings for the Raptors with a game-high eight assists.

- The triples are starting to fall for Toronto. VanVleet and Trent Jr. connect on back-to-back possessions to cut it to 54-41. Toronto is 6-of-9 from deep in the quarter

- OG runs the floor and gets rewarded with the dunk!

- Six turnovers for the Raptors so far in the second keeping the Bulls in front. Chicago has only turned it over once in the period.

- Zach Lavine hits two free throws for his first points of the night. 

- OK Precious! He knocks down his fifth triple of the season to cut the lead to 38-36. His ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc will be a BIG factor in how the Raptors function with him as a small-ball five. 

- Toronto is creating good looks, but leaving points on the table with some poor finishing inside and turning the ball over. NIck Nurse calls a timeout. 

- Mykhailiuk's 3-pointer puts a stop to the Bull's 8-0 run to start the quarter.

End of first quarter: Raptors 24, Bulls 24

We're all tied up at the end of the quarter and it's former Raptor DeMar DeRozan doing most of the damage for the visitors with a game-high 11 points. Gary Trent Jr. leads the Raptors with seven. 

- DeRozan pump fakes still catching defenders in 2021. First he baits Scottie Barnes for the and-1, then Svi Mykhailiuk gets the same treatment.

- The Raptors' ball movement has been crisp to start the game with each of their 10 made field goals assisted. The extra pass is making a difference against a very good defensive Bulls team.

- Gary Trent Jr. showing plenty of confidence early, knocking down three of his four shot attempts. He's got 7 of the Raptors 9 points. Timeout Chicago.

- Scottie Barnes connects on the hook shot for the first basket of the game and we're underway!

Pregame

OK Scottie!

Boucher getting loose.

The Raptors will start with Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes andPrecious Achiuwa. 

What channel is Raptors vs. Bulls on?

  • TV channel:  TSN 4 (Canada), NBC Sports Chicago and NBA League Pass (USA)
  • Radio:  TSN 1050

What time does Raptors vs. Bulls start?

  • Date:  Monday, Oct. 25
  • Time:  7:30 p.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT

Raptors vs. Bulls is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 25. The game will be played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Injury Report

( As of 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 25 )

Injury Report: Raptors vs. Bulls – Oct. 25, 2021
Team Player Name Current Status Reason
Toronto Raptors Pascal Siakam Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Surgery – recovery
  Yuta Watanabe Out Injury/Illness – Left Calf; Strain
Chicago Bulls Coby White Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Injury Management

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Author(s)
Benyam Kidane Photo
Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.