By Canadian Press

Powell scores 20 to lead Toronto Raptors to 112-103 victory over Bulls

Mar 26, 2019 | 7:57 PM

TORONTO — Norman Powell scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and the Raptors beat the lowly Chicago Bulls 112-103 on Tuesday, avoiding what would have been the first time Toronto had lost three straight at home since 2015.

Six Raptors scored in double figures. Serge Ibaka had 16 points, Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry had 14 apiece, Pascal Siakam chipped in with 13, while OG Anunoby had 10 for Toronto (52-23).

Wayne Selden topped the Bulls (21-54) with 20 points.

The Raptors never trailed in their third victory this season and eighth in a row over the Bulls, who’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention. 

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Toronto’s 15-point second-quarter lead grew to 20 points in the third, and the Raptors cruised into the fourth quarter with a 85-72 advantage.

The Raptors, perhaps due to pure boredom, allowed the Bulls to pull within 10 points on a three-pointer by Antonio Blakeney early in the fourth. But a Powell three-pointer was the punctuation mark on a 14-6 Raptors run that put them up by 18 points midway through the frame.

A shaken Anunoby had to be helped to the locker-room with 4:10 to play after Brandon Sampson landed hard on the Raptors sophomore under the hoop.

Coach Nick Nurse went deep into his bench to wrap up the kind of hum-drum night that has fans and players itching to get to the playoffs. 

With just seven games left in the regular season, the Raptors are trying to find a good rhythm to ride into the post-season. Nurse was asked if Jusuf Nurkic’s gruesome injury on Monday caused him concern about his star players getting hurt before playoffs.

The Portland centre suffered compound fractures to his tibia and fibula.

“I didn’t see (the injury) and on purpose I haven’t tried to watch it,” Nurse said. “I can barely watch a guy twist his ankle. When they show those things and the slow ’em down, I’m like the turn-away guy.

“You can’t do anything. There’s guys all the time . . . you just move on and business as usual, I think. Feel really bad for the player especially, the coach and the rest of his teammates.”

Toronto was coming off a stunning 115-114 loss to Charlotte two nights earlier that saw Jeremy Lamb launch a 48-foot buzzer-beater for the victory.

The Raptors were up 26-18 after the first quarter on Tuesday. Leonard led the way in the second with eight points, and a three-pointer by Powell with 4.9 second left in the quarter sent the Raptors into the halftime break with a 56-51 lead. 

The Raptors are on the road for the next two games. They visit New York to face the Knicks on Thursday, then head to Chicago on Saturday.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press