Raptors Hand Bulls 124-115 Loss

By ESPN

All that DeMar DeRozan wanted to talk about was the lift Toronto's bench provided. As for his recent scoring tear?

"I don't think nothing of it," he said.

DeRozan had 35 points, Delon Wright set career highs with 25 points and 13 rebounds, and the Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 124-115 on Wednesday night.

DeRozan came up big again after scoring a franchise-record 52 points in a win over Milwaukee on New Year's Day. He was particularly good in the third quarter this time, scoring 18 points after being held to nine in the first half. DeRozan also shot 5 of 8 on 3-pointers and converted all 10 free throws.

Wright had his first career double-double and hit four 3s to lead a big effort by the bench. He scored 12 in the second quarter and eight more points in the fourth to help Toronto pull away for its ninth win in 11 games.

Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry scored 16 apiece for Toronto. Fred VanVleet, from nearby Rockford, added 13 points, and the Raptors' reserves outscored Chicago's 54-39.

"They've been great for us all year," DeRozan said. "We come out slacking. The bench always picks us up, and vice versa. Tonight, the bench did what they've been doing all year, got the energy going. We fed off that, and got back in the game."

He'll get no argument from coach Dwane Casey.

"The bench really saved us tonight," he said. "They gave us energy. We just couldn't get our mojo going with the first unit, but Delon came in and had a career high. I really liked the way he was going after rebounds. His overall game sustained us."

Justin Holiday led Chicago with 26 points, and Lauri Markkanen added 22 points and 12 rebounds. Nikola Mirotic scored 20, but the Bulls dropped their third straight.

The Bulls looked sharp early on, with a 10-point lead after the first quarter. But they couldn't sustain their edge on defense and were impatient on offense -- particularly the second unit.

"We were coming out and jacking up contested shots with zero or one pass," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "And you can't have that. So again, that second unit's been pretty darn good for us. Tonight, we struggled with it."

PULLING AWAY

Chicago was leading 92-90 early in the fourth when Toronto went on a 16-2 run. Lowry hit a 3 to make it 106-94 with 6:39 remaining, and the Raptors remained in control the rest of the way.

LAVINE UPDATE

The Bulls hope to decide on a return date for G Zach LaVine early next week.

LaVine will travel with the team to games at Dallas and Indiana on Friday and Saturday. Hoiberg said the two-time slam dunk champion will meet with doctors, trainers, management and coaches after the Bulls return home.

LaVine averaged 18.9 points in 47 games for Minnesota last season before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Bulls acquired him along with Kris Dunn and Markkanen in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Toronto had dropped six straight at Chicago. ... The Raptors were 19 of 19 at the foul line. ... Wright hit 10 of 15 shots.

Bulls: Markkanen has led the Bulls in rebounding 13 times and has eight double-doubles. He is averaging 21 points over his last four games. ... C Robin Lopez had 12 points and a career-high six assists. ... Mirotic has scored 20 or more in eight of his 15 games.

Bucks 122, Pacers 101

A teammate asked Giannis Antetokounmpo how he felt after a game in which the Milwaukee Bucks star secured his 18th double-double of the season.

"Good rest," said Antetokounmpo, shrugging his shoulders as he reached his locker.

Antetokounmpo had 31 points and 10 rebounds before getting a well-earned break in the fourth quarter, and the Bucks pulled away for a 122-101 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

Antetokounmpo had his way around the rim with his usual array of dunks and layups, shooting 12 of 18. He clinched his double-double with 1:01 left in the third quarter, passing an offensive rebound to Thon Maker in the corner.

Maker hit an open 3-pointer to extend what had been a 10-point halftime lead to a 93-74 edge. It was one of the Bucks' five 3s in the third to put the game out of reach.

"We are still giving up big quarters, to start the first, to start the third," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "Defensively we are in a hole, and offensively we are turning the ball over."

This was just the kind of breather the Bucks needed after losing in overtime at Toronto on New Year's Day, with the dangerous Raptors visiting Milwaukee on Friday. Coach Jason Kidd liked the ball movement after his team had 33 assists, especially in the third quarter.

Khris Middleton added 27 points, while Malcolm Brogdon added 17 off the bench for the Bucks.

"We put a huge emphasis on coming out in the third quarter ... and really trying to close it out early," Brogdon said.

The lead was so safe that Kidd rested Antetokounmpo for the entire fourth quarter. The 6-foot-11 star played just 29 minutes, nine fewer than his season average.

Middleton, who averages 37 minutes a night, was also limited to 29 on Wednesday.

"We'd all like to have a game like this when you can keep them under 30 minutes," Kidd said.

Minus leading scorer Victor Oladipo (24.9 points per game) for a fourth straight game because of a knee injury, the Pacers couldn't keep up with Antetokounmpo's athleticism on both ends of the floor .

Domantas Sabonis had a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting for Indiana, which lost its season-high fifth straight. Darren Collison added 17 points.

The Pacers shot just 20 percent (3 of 15) from 3-point range.

"We are in a tough stretch now. We just got to figure it out together as a team somehow, continue to get better," Sabonis said.

Antetokounmpo had 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first half to help the Bucks build a 62-52 halftime lead.

Wednesday, January 3 Scoreboard

Houston 116, Orlando 98

Philadelphia 112, San Antonio 106

Washington 121, New York 103

Brooklyn 98, Minnesota 97

Miami 111, Detroit 104

Boston 102,  Cleveland 88

Toronto 124, Chicago 115

Milwaukee 122, Indiana 101

Golden State 125, Dallas 122

Denver 134, Phoenix 111

New Orleans 108, Utah 98

Oklahoma City 133, Los Angeles Lakers 96

Thursday, January 4 Schedule (All Times Central)

Golden State at Houston, 7 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Clippers, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, January 5 Schedule (All Times Central)

Detroit at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Minnesota at Boston, 6 p.m.

New York at Miami, 7 p.m.

Toronto at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Chicago at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Utah at Denver, 8 p.m.

Washington at Memphis, 8:30 p.m.

Atlanta at Portland, 9 p.m.

Charlotte at Los Angeles Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 6 Schedule (All Times Central)

Golden State at Los Angeles Clippers, 2:30 p.m.

Boston at Brooklyn, 5 p.m.

Houston at Detroit, 6 p.m.

Chicago at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Cleveland at Orlando, 6 p.m.

Milwaukee at Washington, 7 p.m.

New Orleans at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Denver at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Sunday, January 7 Schedule (All Times Central)

Utah at Miami, 2:30 p.m.

New York at Dallas, 6 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Phoenix, 7 p.m.

San Antonio at Portland, 8 p.m.

Atlanta at Los Angeles Lakers, 8:30 p.m.