Raptors Trampled By Bulls In Second Half

October 20, 2010

TORONTO (CP) - Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano wants to see his team play defence the way the Chicago Bulls do.

He wants his team to defend aggressively, the way the Bulls did Wednesday in their 110-103 pre-season victory over the Raptors at Air Canada Centre.

Luol Deng had 22 points and Derrick Rose added 20 to lead the Bulls.

Leandro Barbosa scored 22 points for the Raptors coming off the bench, and Andrea Bargnani added 19.

During the Raptors (3-4) full practice Wednesday morning Triano preached the kind defence Chicago (3-4) used to limit the Raptors three-point game -- getting in the face of the shooters.

``They did a good job of taking away our threes,`` Triano said. ``This team plays defence the way that we should. They get up on the three-point shooter. We ended up, what, 2-for-14?''

Barbosa made the Raptors only two three-pointers of the game going 2-for-6. Overall, the Raptors were 2-for-14 from beyond the arc. Bargnani attempted only one.

The Raptors had a 54-50 lead at the half and increased it to 10 points in the opening minutes of the third quarter. But in the final 6:21 of the third quarter, the Bulls outscored the Raptors 20-7 to lead 78-75 and were on their way.

``We just lost it a little bit,'' said forward Reggie Evans, who led the game with 16 rebounds. ``Derrick Rose kind of got it going and his teammates kind of fed off his presence. We just have to stay with it from a defensive standpoint, keep our heads into it. Just stay focused from that standpoint. That just translates into our offence. That's the biggest thing.``

Triano admits perhaps his gruelling morning practice didn't leave his team with enough energy to compete hard against the Bulls. The Raptors had 12 of their 18 turnovers in the second half, including seven in the fourth quarter.

``I'll take a little bit of the blame for that,'' Triano said. ``We practised hard this morning. We've been going hard, yesterday, the day before. We just didn't seem to have the legs.

``All the stuff that we drilled were the things that they kicked us with. It's disappointing because it's what we've been working on. But at the same time we've been going hard. We went hard again this morning. But no excuse.''

The Bulls, who defeated the Raptors Oct. 12 in Chicago 109-90 when they had a 44-22 edge in rebounds, led 27-22 after one quarter. Evans had eight rebounds in his nine minutes in the first quarter as Toronto out-rebounded Chicago 18-7 in the first 12 minutes and had a 45-36 advantage for the game.

Barbosa scored the final four points of the half, banking in a jump shot before putting in a lay-up after a steal with 31.8 seconds to go as the Raptors took a 54-50 lead into the intermission.

The Raptors saw a 10-point third-quarter lead disappear and when Ronnie Brewer scored on a lay-up with 2:39 left in the quarter as the Bulls regained the lead at 71-70.

In the fourth, the Bulls pulled away to a 95-85 lead after Kurt Thomas hit a 17-foot jumper with 6:02 play. Brian Scalabrine who finished with 14 points hit a three-pointer with 3:43 left to increase the lead to 104-90.

The Raptors pulled back to within six at 109-103 when David Andersen, who finished with nine points, made a lay-up with 49.9 seconds left. Andersen missed a chance to make it closer when his shot missed with 26 seconds left.

Notes: Raptors forward Amir Johnson fouled out with 2:04 to play in the game and finished with eight points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. ...Raptors guard Jarrett Jack was a game-time decision because of a sore left knee and entered the game with 3:42 left in the first quarter. He also has been playing with a sore left elbow but other than the pain, it does not hamper him. ...Bargnani, Jose Calderon, DeRozan, Evans and Linas Kleiza formed the starting lineup for the Raptors for the third game in a row. ...Joakim Noah (flu), Kyle Korver (left ankle) and Carlos Boozer (right hand) did not play for Chicago. ...The Raptors next game is Friday in Montreal against the New York Knicks.