The Toronto Raptors will be out to extend their season-best winning streak to six games and exact some revenge against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
The Raptors earned a 106-82 road victory Wednesday over the Washington Wizards. It marked the first time the Raptors have won five straight since March 24-April 1, 2022. They have won seven of their past eight games.
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points to lead the scoring for the Raptors, who converted 27 Washington turnovers into 32 points. The Raptors turned it over only 14 times, resulting in 12 points.
“I thought we played with a lot of intensity at the defensive end,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. “The good thing is that we kept the foot on the gas the whole game.”
Toronto held Washington to 38.9 percent (28-for-72) from the field, including 16.7 percent (5-for-30) from 3-point range.
Jakob Poeltl and Ochai Agbaji each added 12 points. Eight players scored in double digits as the Raptors shot 47.7 percent (42-for-88) from the field overall and 35.5 percent (11-for-31) on 3-point attempts.
“We are trying to develop winning habits, and we are trying to develop the right culture,” Rajakovic said. “We don’t take anything for granted.”
The Raptors are evolving into a strong defensive team with Poeltl playing an important role.
“There are so many things that, defensively, he’s covering for us (and) doing an outstanding job of communicating,” Rajakovic said this week. “He’s our connector on the offensive end. He does an unbelievable job for us.”
“I don’t think the way that we play basketball has necessarily changed a bunch,” Poeltl said. “Right now, we’re having a good run, we’re playing (well) on defense and it’s making our offense look better as well, so I think, yes, there’s a little bit of that different edge that we’re having right now these last few games but, at the end of the day, I don’t want to get too high or too low on us.”
The Raptors will try to avenge a 122-121 home loss to the Bulls on Dec. 16 when Nikola Vucevic scored 24 points to lead Chicago.
The Bulls lost 122-100 on the road to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday to open a three-game road trip. That helped the Raptors move to within 4 1/2 games of the Bulls for the final Eastern Conference play-in spot.
Chicago’s Zach LaVine (paternity leave) did not play Wednesday and is expected to miss the next two games as well.
The Bulls allowed the Celtics to score 27 points off 15 turnovers.
“Especially against the reigning champs, you just can’t give them opportunities,” Bulls guard Coby White said. “Against good teams like that, you have to control what you can control.”
White scored 16 points after missing the previous four games with a bone bruise in his left ankle. Reserve Patrick Williams also had 16 points.
White lost four turnovers and Williams had two. Lonzo Ball, who had nine points, committed three turnovers.
“They capitalized on the turnovers,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “They turned them into points, and then, obviously, the other part was the fouling.”
The Celtics took 15 more free throws, going 22-for-27 while Chicago was 11-for-12.
Immanuel Quickley (hip) and Kelly Olynyk (calf) are listed as questionable for the Raptors after sitting out Wednesday.
