R.J. Barrett leads way for Raptors in win over lowly Chicago

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A three-game win streak is nothing to sneeze at, knowing there’s no point in dissecting the deficiencies of the opposition when the ultimate goal is to post wins.

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At the same time, it must be made abundantly clear how deplorable the Chicago Bulls are, and how every game for the Raptors heading down the NBA’s stretch drive carries much significance.

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The fact the Raptors took care of business in Chicago against an inferior side is hardly news, as Toronto swept its three-game season series against the Bulls.

What was encouraging involved Toronto’s professionalism and how the team went for the jugular.

Sure, many will point to the Raptors’ defence, but it came against a very offensively challenged team.

Defence is also a problem for the Bulls, giving the Raptors all kinds of opportunities to move the ball, share it and score at will.

No one should read too much into Toronto’s 139-109 win on Wednesday, an expected and inevitable outcome given the talent disparity between the two teams and how each is moving in entirely different directions.

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Credit the Raptors, who posted their 20th road win of the season.

Of greater importance was how the victory kept the Raptors in contention to avoid the play-in tournament.

Three years ago, the Raptors and Bulls met in the play-in when Chicago, led by former Raptor DeMar DeRozan, came to Toronto three years ago and left with an upset win.

How times have changed, how fortunes for each franchise have dramatically changed.

The following are three takeaways on a night the Raptors were never threatened as Toronto improved its record to 39-29, good enough for the No. 5 seed in the East.

1. R.J. Oozing Confidence

Inside and outside, facilitating and playing with force, there has been plenty to like about R.J. Barrett’s game of late.

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That continued in the Windy City for the Canadian.

When the Raptors jumped on the host Bulls early, it was Barrett leading the way with his offence as his teammates fed off his confidence.

In fact, Barrett and Brandon Ingram combined to outscore the Bulls 19-17 in the opening 12 minutes as the visitors were able to play with a double-digit lead.

Unrelenting and uncompromising, it was Barrett who was thrust into the leading role.

The Bulls had no answer for Barrett, who made a very nifty pocket pass in the second quarter to a rolling Jakob Poeltl.

When Barrett’s three-point shot is dropping, the floor gets spread, while his offence is able to expand.

The best part to Barrett’s game was his refusal to settle, taking no possession for granted and taking no prisoner.

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He wasn’t as offensively potent in the second quarter, but Barrett wasn’t required to take over, knowing the Bulls were so vulnerable, knowing his teammates were more than capable of filling the net.

In total, the Raptors posted 40 second-quarter points and took a 72-45 lead into the halftime break.

2. Jak Attack

There’s no similarities between the East-leading Detroit Pistons and a Bulls team mired in the bottom of the conference.

While the Pistons seem poised to make a deep post-season run, the hoopsters from the Windy City are playing out the string, hoping management is able to pull off some magical moves this summer.

Keeping the above in mind, it was almost expected Poeltl wouldn’t be as dominant against the Bulls as he was against the Pistons.

Among the many issues plaguing Chicago is lack of size.

Still, picking up four fouls in 18 minutes wasn’t what many envisioned for Poeltl in wake of his season-best performance against the Pistons.

In playing a season-high 36 minutes Sunday, Poeltl did not record a single assist.

On the game’s opening possession Wednesday, a turnover was produced on a bad pass when the Raptors attempted to execute a high-low sequence with Poeltl handling the ball from the top of the key.

The big man was off, the very, very early turnover serving as a harbinger of what would follow.

When a game turns into a rout, the Raptors didn’t need Poeltl.

The Bulls are that bad.

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3. An A for Ja’Kobe

What shouldn’t be lost in the Raptors’ cakewalk was Ja’Kobe Walter’s play.

With Gradey Dick buried on the bench, it was Walter who provided some much-needed scoring from the second unit.

The kid played with assertiveness and heaved shots with the confidence of a veteran.

Walter is still scratching the surface, but he figures to be a rotation piece as the regular season winds down.

Defence may be his calling card, but Walter’s jumper is solid and pretty sublime when he’s shooting in rhythm.

He had 16 points in 17 minutes as the Raptors piled up the points against the deplora-Bulls.

Walter ended the night with 18 points in 21 minutes.

Dick, by the way, finally entered with 10:15 left in a 114-78 game.

Up Next

A date in Denver arrives Friday night when Toronto’s competition will be much stiffer than the no-show provided by the Bulls; the tip against the host Nuggets will be the second and final meeting between the teams as Denver looks for the season sweep.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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