Game Recap: Bulls clinch play-in berth with win over Raptors

David Banks - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 22 hours ago

CHICAGO—Just like that, the Eastern Conference Playoff field is set as the Chicago Bulls (34-42) clinched, at worst, the final play-in spot. It came on Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors (28-48) at the United Center, as they were the only team with an outside chance to sneak into the play-in field.

What better way to add to the drama than having these teams face off for the final time this season as the Raptors traveled to the United Center for a Tuesday night matchup with the Bulls. Coming off the loss the Bulls suffered on Monday to the Thunder, everyone expected them to be much more motivated for the task at hand as this game had far more meaning behind it.

A loss for Chicago and their lead for the final play-in spot would shrink by one game, while a victory would put them up by six games with six games left, essentially clinching at least one of the final two play-in spots. Throw in a stretch of very winnable games over the next week, and there is some hope that the Bulls could host the play-in round at home instead of going on the road from start to finish.

However, as you have seen with this team throughout the better part of three years, expect the unexpected. The Bulls need to take the next three weeks with more of a one-game-at-a-time mentality. The Bulls took that mindset to heart in a big way. They not only nearly led wire to wire but also made quick work of the Raptors, eliminating them from playoff contention 137-118.

Anytime you can outscore your opponent in three of the four quarters, good things tend to happen, as the Bulls not only outscored the Raptors in each of the first three quarters but did so by scoring at least 31 points in each of those quarters. That included an impressive 39-point outburst in the first as the Bulls opened up a 39-32 lead after one and never looked back. In fact, Chicago scored at least 30 points in all four quarters, as their offense was on point from the jump.

Over the past month, the Bulls have not only seen their offense improve, but they have done so by using a balanced scoring attack that has benefitted them in more ways than one. That continued to be the case on Tuesday as five players, including four starters, landed in double figures, with three of those players finishing with at least 20 points.

As has been the case for a while now, Coby White was the engine that made the Bulls go. He opened up the Month of April with a game-high 28 points while knocking down 10 of his 16 shots. White is fresh off an Eastern Conference Player of the Month honor and has really come into his own since the Zach Lavine trade.

White was backed by a quartet of strong performances in the starting lineup, including Nikola Vucevic, who had the hot hand throughout the first half and into the third quarter. Vucevic may not be the player he was earlier in the season, but with 22 points and 10 boards he continued to show he still has something left in the tank. Chicago also saw Josh Giddey drop 17 points and 12 assists, while Kevin Huerter returned to the starting lineup with 16 points, as those were the ones getting things rolling.

However, much like Monday, when Jevon Carter stole the show off the bench, a bench player's performance stood out, as Talen Horton-Tucker came through with his best performance of the season. Despite not playing nearly as much the past two months compared to the first half of the season, Horton-Tucker has been a solid addition for Chicago, and with a season-high 27 points in 32 minutes, he still can make things happen for this team.

Despite being mathematically alive entering the night, you would've never guessed that based on the lineup the Raptors put out, as they elected to sit RJ Barrett, among others. Not only is Barrett one of their best scorers, but he is arguably their most complete player, which did help the Bulls in this case.

Without him, you knew the Raptors lineup would take a hit as none of their players were able to top 20 points. Anytime that happens, wins will be tough to come by, as Ja'Kobe Walter and Immanuel Quickley led the way with 17 points. Toronto also saw Jakob Poeltl add 12 points, as those were the only three starters in double figures.

While the loss of Barrett was huge, watching Scottie Barnes struggle to do much of anything was an even bigger shock as he was held to nine points in the loss. That made this an even bigger deficit to come back from as the Raptors were going to need their bench to pick up the slack. AJ Lawson and Orlando Robinson did their part by picking up 13 points, but when you dig a hole as massive as the Raptors did, it becomes too much to overcome.

With the win, the Bulls remain just .5 games behind Miami for the No. 9 seed and 2.5 games out of the seventh seed, as they could play themselves all the way up to seven. With a game against Portland on Thursday, followed by another winnable matchup with Charlotte, Chicago may not be done with its climb, as it could keep things interesting the rest of the way.