Late Rally Runs Out as Bulls Streak Ends

By Colin Mieczkowski


The Windy City Bulls lost to the Toronto Raptors 905 for the third time this season, 113-104 off of 22 points by three point shooting specialist, Brady Heslip. It was a blowout early on in favor of the Raptors, but a late run and a couple of big threes from Jarell Eddie closed the gap a little bit.

Eddie was red hot again, scoring 28 points, however, it was just a tad bit late. Some sloppy passing by the Bulls would be the major difference in this game, giving away the ball 21 times.

The Raptors were able to get a ton of inside looks which ultimately played a big role in their victory. The Bulls were able to lock down the Raptors on the inside later on, but then they leaned heavily on Heslip and Bruno Caboclo who hit some threes to extend the lead.

With the victory, it was the largest win margin for the Raptors 905 all season, winning by nine points. The second biggest victory they had was against the Bulls as well, back on Nov. 23 when they won by six.

For the Bulls, Jake Layman was the only player in double figures in points until Alfonzo McKinnie and Eddie did so later in the game. The strong defense down the stretch was a positive, and they started to do good job of defending Raptors 905 7’3” center, Edy Tavares in the paint.

On another note, the Windy City Bulls will not have any players represented in the D-League’s All-Star game. Eddie thinks it’s tough, considering all of the talent surrounding the team.

“It’s tough, because there are some great players in the D-League, but we also have some great players here in Windy City” said Eddie. “It’s tough but it’s something you got to use to motivate you”.

Despite the fact that the Bulls won’t have any all-stars in their first year of existence, they will have a presence in one of the events. Alfonzo McKinnie, who has thrown down numerous monster dunks and ally-oops throughout the season, will participate in the D-League Slam Dunk Contest on Feb. 18 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

So, despite the lost to a very good Raptors 905 team, the Bulls can definitely take some positives out of it. They’ve shot the ball well lately, and the defense continues to improve, and now they have a young player in McKinnie who will get his shot to shine during All-Star weekend.

Be sure to listen to all home games, and read up about the team on the official radio home of Windy City Bulls basketball, SportsTownChicago.com.

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