Butler's big night helps Bulls slay Raptors
CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler scored 42 points, the last of which came on a step-back 3-point field goal with 17.3 seconds left in overtime, as the Chicago Bulls rallied from a 19-point deficit for a 123-118 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
Dwyane Wade scored 20 points for the Bulls (19-18), who won their third straight game and their 10th consecutive game against the Raptors. Doug McDermott scored 17 points off the bench for Chicago, which also got 12 from Nikola Mirotic. Jerian Grant's two free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining in overtime finished off the win.
DeMar DeRozan scored 36 points for the Raptors (24-12), who also got 27 points and 12 assists from Kyle Lowry and 14 points from both Jonas Valanciunas and Cory Joseph.
Before Butler's late 3-pointer, McDermott sparked the Bulls in overtime after Chicago used a 17-2 scoring run in the fourth quarter to erase a double-digit lead. McDermott hit three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point shot attempt. McDermott then gave Chicago a 116-111 lead with 2:16 remaining in overtime with a driving dunk off a Butler assist.
Both the Bulls and Raptors had a chance to win at the end of regulation. With the game tied at 107, Wade missed a twisting runner in the lane before Toronto moved quickly up court. But DeRozan missed a seven-foot jumper and Lowry couldn't get his rebound jumper attempt to fall as the buzzer sounded.
A pair of DeRozan free throws tied the game at 107 with 31 seconds remaining after the Bulls had taken 107-105 lead with a 3-point field goal.
After the Raptors watched a 19-point lead evaporate, DeRozan hit a pair of free throws with 59.4 seconds remaining to give Toronto a 105-104 lead.
Wade's dunk off a Butler assist gave the Bulls their first lead of the second half and capped a 14-0 Chicago scoring run. After the Raptors responded to the tie the game at 101, Mirotic hit a 3-point field goal from the corner to again put the Bulls on top.
Before Chicago's fourth-quarter surge, Toronto had maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half and led by 17 just more than four minutes into the third quarter. A pair of DeRozan free throws with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter gave the Raptors an 82-63 lead before the Bulls drew to within 12 by the end of the third quarter.
NOTES: Raptors F Patrick Patterson missed his fourth straight game with a strained knee. He did not participate in the morning shootaround. Patterson, who last played Dec. 29, remains day to day. ... Raptors coach Dwane Casey does not address trade rumors with players. "I don't think it's necessary because I haven't heard of any of the stuff I read in the papers," Casey said. "So I'm sure if there was any truth to any of it, I would have heard of it." ... Bulls rookie G Denzel Valentine missed his second straight game with an ankle sprain he sustained Jan. 2 against Charlotte. Valentine practiced Friday and is doing "well," coach Fred Hoiberg said. ... The Bulls recalled F Bobby Portis from its NBA Development League affiliate -- the Windy City Bulls -- after Portis had 32 points and nine rebounds in 38 minutes on Friday in a 113-102 victory over the Westchester Knicks.