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 "Niko again?" he said.
Yes. Niko again.
Thanks to a recent increase in playing time, Mirotic has become a
familiar name atop the Chicago Bulls' scoring sheet. He scored 29
points with 11 rebounds to lead the Bulls to a 108-92 win against
the Toronto Raptors.
Forward Mike Dunleavy added 21 points for Chicago, which won its
second consecutive game and improved to 3-0 against Toronto this
season.
Center Joakim Noah fell just shy of a triple-double with eight
points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists for the Bulls (42-28). Noah's 14
assists matched his career high.
"We were able to get a lot of back-door (layups) and cuts to the
basket," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I like the balance of the
team."
Guard DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points for the Raptors, whose other
four starters combined for 33 points.
Forward Patrick Patterson scored 17 points off the bench for Toronto
(41-28), which slipped a half-game behind Chicago in the Eastern
Conference standings.
"They just kicked our butt in every which way you want to go,"
Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I thought we came out with some
fight in the third quarter, but it was too late. They punched us,
and we never recovered."
The Bulls led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter and 86-68
entering the final 12 minutes. The Raptors cut their deficit to 11
early in the fourth quarter before Chicago pulled away.
Mirotic continued his ascent by scoring at least 20 points for the
sixth time in the past 11 games. He was 11 of 21 from the field to
lead the Bulls in scoring for the third straight game.
The 6-foot-10 forward has averaged 21.5 points per game in his last
11 contests. He consistently attacked the rim against Patterson and
other Raptors defenders rather than settle for 3-point shots.
"That's what I'm trying to do right now," Mirotic said. "They're
trying not to let me shoot the 3s, and I'm not really shooting a
great percent from the 3-point line, so what I'm trying is to put
the ball on the floor and try to make some easy baskets."
Meanwhile, Toronto struggled to generate offense with guard Kyle
Lowry sidelined by a back contusion. The Raptors shot 38 percent
from the field (30 of 79) and were outrebounded 47-36.
Lowry tested his back during pregame warmups before deciding to sit.
Toronto dropped to 1-3 in games in which Lowry does not play.
"That's his call," Casey said. "His body told him that he couldn't
go."
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Chicago established a 60-48 halftime lead behind 15 points from
Mirotic, who spurred a 7-2 run to close the half with a turnaround
layup and a blocked shot against Raptors forward Terrence Ross.
Dunleavy rattled in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to increase the lead
to 12.
Forward Taj Gibson came off the bench to fuel an early 14-0 run for
the Bulls, who led 32-24 at the end of the first quarter. In
Gibson's first game since spraining his ankle on Feb. 27, he
energized his teammates by throwing down a two-handed dunk on an
alley-oop pass from forward Pau Gasol for his first basket.
Gibson said he needed to improve his conditioning but was excited to
rejoin a deep, talented team that seemed to be gaining another young
star in Mirotic.
"A lot of firepower," Gibson said. "It's even better now. All these
guys are playing with so much confidence, and the court is so wide
open right now."
Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez said he and his teammates could not
afford to cruise toward the playoffs.
"We still have a lot to prove," Vasquez said. "We just need to stay
focused. We need to refocus and get our head back in the game."
NOTES: Bulls F Taj Gibson returned to the court after sitting out
for the past three weeks. Gibson, 29, missed nine games because of a
left ankle sprain that he reaggravated Feb. 27 against Minnesota.
... Raptors G Greivis Vasquez made his 20th start of the season. He
started in place of G Kyle Lowry, who has a back contusion. ...
Chicago G Jimmy Butler missed his 10th consecutive game because of a
sprained left elbow. Butler has returned to practice, including
contact drills. ... Dwane Casey is one game from becoming the second
head coach in Raptors history to coach 300 games. Casey will join
Sam Mitchell, who coached 345 games with Toronto from 2004 to 2008.
... Bulls G Derrick Rose (knee) missed his 13th straight game.
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