Butler returns to help Bulls beat Raptors
CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler scored 19 points in his return to action Tuesday -- including seven free throws in the final 1:48 -- as the Chicago Bulls held off a late rally for a 105-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the United Center.
Butler, who last played Feb. 10 and was sidelined with a right heel contusion, played 38 minutes and hit 15-of-19 free throws as the Bulls (27-29) snapped a three-game losing streak. He was 2 for 10 from the field.
Doug McDermott scored 20 points, Taj Gibson added 14 while Rajon Rondo and Cristiano Felicio had 12 and 10 points, respectively, for Chicago.
The Raptors (32-24) have dropped 11 of their last 15 and are 0-11 against the Bulls since late 2013.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 points, DeMar DeRozan had 18 while Norman Powell added 13 for the Raptors.
The win followed a woeful road trip for Chicago that saw only two wins in six games.
The Bulls were shorthanded with Dwayne Wade (right wrist), Nikola Mirotic (back spasms) and Paul Zipser (left ankle tendinitis) all out.
Butler played all 12 minutes and collected five points and two assists as Chicago opened a 24-18 lead after one quarter.
The Bulls bench offered outsized contributions in the first half, closing with 30 points while Gibson had 14 as Chicago shot 51.2 percent from the field and led 58-39 at halftime.
The Bulls led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter but saw the advantage slip to 14 as Powell had nine points and the Raptors outscored Chicago 12-4 in the final 3:40 to make it a 78-64.
Cory Joseph hit back-to-back buckets to open the fourth and closed with 10 points in the period. But the Raptors got no closer than 96-91 on a pair of DeRozan free throws with 2:08 to play.
Toronto last beat Chicago on Dec. 31, 2013, an 85-79 victory at the United Center.
NOTES: Toronto acquired veteran PF Serge Ibaka from Orlando on Tuesday in exchange for Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round draft pick. Ibaka is averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. ... Toronto All-Star G DeMar DeRozan came into Tuesday with a career-high 20 straight games with 20-plus points. ... The Bulls previous four opponents shot better than 50 percent from the field, tied for the longest such streak in the NBA this season. Toronto shot 45.5 percent Tuesday. ... The Raptors return to Air Canada Centre on Wednesday to meet Charlotte and complete their 12th back-to-back of the season. Chicago resumes play Thursday against Boston at the United Center, the second of three straight home games.