10 things from Raptors-Bulls

Here’s 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors’ 124-101 win over the Chicago Bulls.

One – Pointless: This was yet another low-intensity blowout against a tanking opponent. The Raptors were without OG Anunoby (concussion-like symptoms), Kawhi Leonard (personal), and Pascal Siakam (dressed, but did not play), and yet they still held a double-digit advantage for the entirety of the second half because the Bulls are just that inept.

Two – Traditional: Siakam’s absence gave Nick Nurse another excuse to experiment with the Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol frontcourt. This time, Siakam wasn’t on the floor as the de facto small forward, so the Raptors were able to create enough shooting opportunities and movement on the perimeter for Ibaka and Gasol to go to work. The Raptors primarily attacked through Ibaka in the post since he had six inches over Wayne Seldon, and Ibaka delivered with one of his most productive outings of the season as he finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Three – Aggressive: Gasol was impressive in his own right, especially since he actually decided to look for his own offence after scoring all of four points in his previous two outings. Gasol presented himself as an option on the baseline inbound and fired away from deep without hesitation. He chipped in with his playmaking out of the high post, but also tallied 17 points to make up for Leonard and Siakam’s absences.

Four – Fluid: Fred VanVleet assisted on at least three of Gasol’s baskets, and it’s clear that those two have developed chemistry during their short time together as teammates. VanVleet struggled mightily to generate good looks while attacking in the pick-and-roll with Jonas Valanciunas earlier in the year, but the two-man game with Gasol is smooth, likely because the Spaniard is more versatile. Valanciunas would always roll hard to the basket, whereas Gasol mixes in the triple and the floater to keep the defence guessing.

Five – Hometown: Gasol returned the favour by spotting VanVleet on a handful of backdoor cuts. VanVleet also drilled three triples and repeatedly beat his defender off the dribble before finishing with 23 points in front of friends and family. VanVleet has been phenomenal since his return from injury, especially in the dual point guard lineup with Kyle Lowry. VanVleet typically serves as the shooting guard in that alignment, but what makes that look so effective is that he and Lowry can switch roles on any given play, so the defence is often caught off guard.

Six – Spark: Jodie Meeks was great in his first taste of extended minutes. Meeks scored 11 of the Raptors’ 42 points in the second quarter, and drilled another three in garbage time for good measure. Meeks is clearly an experienced veteran who knows how to attack off a curl. He either hoists the three if there’s daylight, or he’ll get into the lane and toss up a soft floater. Either way, Meeks makes immediate decisions with the ball and he never stops moving. He gambles a bit too much defensively, but Meeks is a decent microwave scorer in limited doses.

Seven – Useful: Danny Green busted out the post moves after going weeks without working inside. Green showed earlier in the season (most notably in the Raptors’ win over the Warriors in Oakland) that he can effectively bully his way to the basket if the defence is stashing a smaller player on him, and that’s a nice option to have in the back pocket. Green isn’t exactly busting out the Dream Shake, but he does have a spin move that gets the job done.

Eight – Sharing: The Raptors totalled 34 helpers against the Bulls and are averaging 30 assists over their last seven games. This is where the addition of Gasol is most obvious, because the ball just never sticks when he’s on. He’s always either directing traffic in the middle of the floor, or he’s spraying passes out of the pick-and-roll and finding open corner shooters. It’s beautiful to watch.

Nine – Scorching: Part of the uptick in assists can also be attributed to the Raptors catching fire from deep since Gasol’s arrival. The Raptors shot 18-of-38 from beyond the arc tonight after hitting 20 against the Knicks on Thursday as they continue to lead the NBA in 3-point accuracy (40.8 percent) since the trade deadline. Better ball movement leads to better shots, and it doesn’t hurt that Gasol is also shooting nearly 40 percent from deep as a member of the Raptors.

Ten – Assistance: Toronto should consider getting Lowry a few more looks on offence over their last few games just to get him into rhythm. Lowry has attempted just 34 shots in the four games since his ankle injury, and isn’t in the same groove from deep as he was prior to the injury.

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