Raptors to blame for season-ending slump against Bulls in 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament

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The Toronto Raptors saw a 19-point lead disappear Wednesday night at the 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament, ultimately losing to the Chicago Bulls. The Raps came out of the gates firing in the first half and capped the second quarter with a buzzer-beater from Fred VanVleet, but fell apart completely in the final two periods.

When you miss 18 free throws in a game, it’s hard to win. Between that and his failure to contain Zach LaVine who broke in for 39 points, Toronto was stunned on his home court, a place where he is usually dominant.

Below, discuss well who is most responsible for this shocking loss which ended the Raptors season.

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The bench

Yes, it’s more than one player. But lack of points from supporting cast members has been a problem throughout the year and it was Wednesday once again. Although the first unit played heavy and heavy minutes, the bench did not squat when called. Gary Trent had two points in 16 minutes. Chris Boucher was scoreless. Precious Achiuwa had six points.

In all honesty, Nick Nurse stuck with his starters because of the second unit struggles. They really failed to produce all 82 games, with only 28 PPG. This ranked second to last in the Association. That’s exactly why the nurse didn’t turn to her bench. Any team looking to struggle needs to have a strong supporting cast and that just wasn’t the case in 2022-23.

AND Anunoby

Anunoby did a respectable job defending DeMar DeRozan, forcing him to take hard shots and work for every basket. DeRozan, however, finished 10 of 19 from the field with 23 points. Offensively, however, Anunoby was very disappointing. In 42 minutes, he was just 13 for 4 for 13 shooting from the field and 3 for 7 from three-point field.

Again, with the bench virtually non-existent, Nurse needed his best from every starter. Anunoby did not play up to par. The 25-year-old was also one of the Raptors’ most important weapons throughout the campaign. He was also to blame for the teams’ struggles at the charity strip, sinking just 2 of 7 giveaways.

Poeltl is never a big contributor offensively for the Raptors, but seven points and eight boards in 36 minutes just isn’t enough. The stat that stands out the most is his five turnovers. The Bulls translated the Raps 14 fouls to 22 points. Poeltl hasn’t done a good job dealing with basketball and could have been on the boards a lot more. He actually failed to score in double figures in his last three games of the season.

Nick Nurse

You could partly blame Nick Nurse for not giving his bench more chances to get going. Trent Jr has been an important player for the Raptors all season. Will Barton was acquired to be a key depth piece for the backcourt. Sure, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes put up decent numbers in this game, but they couldn’t close. The heavy dose of minutes finally caught up with them.

The question now remains, did Nurse coach his last game in Toronto? He’s already said he plans to reevaluate his job after the season, which isn’t exactly what the Raptors front office wants to hear. Maybe the organization could use a fresh start and hire a new HC.

An interesting off-season awaits us. From the nurses’ future to three pending free agents in Anunoby, FVV and Trent Jr, changes could come this summer.

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