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Raptors vs. Bulls final score, result: Chicago rallies from 19-point deficit to stun Toronto in NBA Play-In Tournament

Sam Jarden

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Raptors vs. Bulls final score, result: Chicago rallies from 19-point deficit to stun Toronto in NBA Play-In Tournament image

With nine minutes left in the third quarter against the Bulls, the Raptors held a seemingly insurmountable 19-point lead in a win-or-go-home game. They seemed to be cruising towards a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Then, in the blink of an eye, their season was over.

A ferocious second-half comeback by Chicago silenced the fans inside Scotiabank Arena and brought Toronto's 2022-23 campaign to a heartbreaking close. Zach LaVine carried his team with 39 points, including 30 in the second half, while DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 23 points of his own.

One of the stranger subplots of the evening was the effect DeRozan's daughter, Diar, had on the game. She was seated close to the baseline on the end of the floor which Toronto shot on in the second half. During every Raptors free throw, she let out a high-pitched scream right as the ball was being released. It seemed to work wonders, with the Raptors finishing an abysmal 18 of 36 from the line.

MORE: Diar DeRozan rattles Raptors, screams during free throws in Play-In Tournament game

It was a gut-wrenching end to the campaign for Nick Nurse's team, which had won 18 of its last 29 games to reach the Play-In Tournament. It could be the last time we see the affable head coach on the sideline for Toronto, with his future in doubt after five years at the helm. 

The Bulls will now move on to face the Heat in Miami on Friday night. The winner of that game will clinch a playoff spot as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, setting up a first-round series against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. 

The Sporting News was tracking all the key moments from the Bulls' NBA Play-In Tournament win over the Raptors on Wednesday night: 

Raptors vs. Bulls score

Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Raptors 28 30 23 24 105
Bulls 23 24 25 37 109

Raptors vs. Bulls live score, updates, highlights

(All times Eastern.)

9:55 p.m.: Zach LaVine put the team on his back in that second half. He finishes with 39 points to lead all scorers and help the Bulls keep their season alive. 

9:53 p.m.: A heartbreaking finish for the fans in Toronto. Nick Nurse's team just seemed powerless to stop that late Bulls rally. It could be his last game as head coach of the team after five remarkable years in charge. 

9:49 p.m. FINAL: It's over! The Bulls storm back from a 19-point deficit to stun the Raptors and eliminate them from playoff contention! Unbelievable!

9:47 p.m.: Siakam makes the first, but he misses the second and third attempts! The Raptors now have to foul, and Vucevic makes both at the other end to make it a four point game with 11 seconds left. 

9:46 p.m.: Siakam gets fouled. Initially the officials say it's on the floor, but after some discussion, they change their call to say it was on the gather. That means he'll have three shots here and a chance to tie it up!

9:43 p.m.: LaVine gets fouled with 17.9 seconds remaining, and he calmly swishes both free throws. The Bulls' lead is back to three points. But the Raptors have plenty of time to work with, and they could still tie it up right here. 

9:41 p.m.: Siakam throws down a big one-handed slam to cut the deficit to a single point with 19.7 seconds remaining. Billy Donovan will take a timeout.

9:40 p.m.: DeRozan gets fouled, but now he misses the second of his two free throws. It'll be Toronto ball with less than 30 seconds left and Chicago leading, 105-102. 

9:36 p.m.: After misses on both ends, Siakam is fouled and will head to the line with the Raptors trailing 104-101. He makes the first, but misses the second. If the Bulls win this game, DeMar DeRozan's daughter might legitimately be a big reason why.

9:31 p.m.: LaVine drives and finishes, then DeRozan does the same after a defensive stop to make it 104-100 Chicago with two minutes left. 

9:30 p.m.: What a shot by VanVleet! He knocks down huge three in Nikola Vucevic's face to tie things up at 100 apiece! This game is getting really interesting now. 

9:27 p.m.: LaVine has been outrageous in this second half. He knocks down a jumper to make it 98-95 Bulls to bring his tally to 35 points on the night. After a big dunk by DeRozan, the Bulls lead by three points with three and a half minutes remaining. 

9:23 p.m.: Barnes misses the free throw, and Caruso gets a bucket at the other end to tie it back up. After Caruso gets a steal on defense, Patrick Beverley knocks down a three to give Chicago the lead by three! 

9:17 p.m.: Alex Caruso buries a corner three and this game is tied! What a comeback by Chicago! But Barnes goes quickly down the other way for an and-1 layup to restore Toronto's lead. He'll go to the line with the Raptors up 93-91 after a media timeout. 

9:11 p.m.: LaVine pulls up on a heat check from downtown and buries it to make it a five-point game! The Bulls simply refuse to go away. With nine minutes left, the Raptors' lead is now 87-82. 

9:03 p.m. END OF THIRD QUARTER: LaVine was on fire that quarter, dropping 17 points. He's not ready to go home. But despite his best efforts, Toronto leads 81-72 heading into the final period. 

8:56 p.m.: LaVine drills a three to briefly cut the lead down to single digits, but VanVleet responds at the other end with a three of his own. By the way, if you're watching this game and noticed a girl screaming during every Raptors free throw, that is DeMar DeRozan's daughter, Diar. She is doing her best to distract Toronto's players. They've shot just 13 of 26 from the line tonight, so it seems to be working.

8:50 p.m.: The Raptors cut the Bulls' rally short with buckets by Siakam and Anunoby, and their lead is back to 16 points. DeRozan was just shown ripping a towel in half on the sideline. He's clearly not happy.  

8:43 p.m.: Chicago is trying to fight back into this. Patrick Williams just threw down a mean one-handed slam to close the gap to 12 points. That was a hammer. 

8:37 p.m.: This has just been a horrendous start to the half for the Bulls. VanVleet buries a three-pointer, and after a Poeltl layup it's 68-50 Raptors. Billy Donovan's squad is in danger of letting this one slip out of reach. 

8:28 p.m. START OF SECOND HALF: The second half is underway, and it starts in wretched fashion for the Bulls. Jakob Poeltl and Anunoby both get easy buckets to stretch Toronto's lead to 15 points. 

8:16 p.m.: That was a gut punch to end the half for Chicago, but credit where it's due. It was one heck of a shot by VanVleet. The Bulls now trail by 11 points with their season on the line.

8:12 p.m. END OF FIRST HALF: Jakob Poeltl rejects Patrick Williams with the shot clock winding down, and Toronto will get the ball back with 2.1 seconds left in the half. VanVleet puts up a shot from half-court... and he hits it! What an end to the half for the Raptors! They lead it 58-47 heading into the locker room!

7:59 p.m.: Siakam is really starting to feel it out there. After buckets on back-to-back possessions, he leads all scorers with 19 points — and there are still almost four minutes left in the first half. 

7:52 p.m.: The Raptors take a timeout with 6:19 left in the second quarter. They lead it 39-34. 

7:46 p.m.: The Bulls briefly take the lead after an Andre Drummond layup, but Siakam responds with a bucket on the other end. Scottie Barnes follows that up with a nice finger roll to make it 32-29 in favor of the Raptors. 

7:39 p.m. END OF FIRST QUARTER: After one quarter, the home team leads by five. VanVleet leads all scorers with 11 points, and the Raptors are a combined 5 of 8 from deep. The Bulls need to find a way to slow them down from beyond the arc.

7:34 p.m.: Fred VanVleet just went deep in his bag for a sweet crossover and finish high off the glass. A true thing of beauty. The Raptors remain in control, leading 25-18 as the first quarter winds down.

7:24 p.m.: The Raptors have built an early 15-8 lead as we hit the first timeout of the game. Siakam leads the way so far with 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting from the field. 

7:22 p.m.: Woah, DeRozan throws down a big one-handed slam! Welcome back to Canada, DeMar. 

7:17 p.m. TIP-OFF: O.G. Anunoby opens the scoring for the evening, swishing a three from the corner to get the crowd on its feet early.

7:11 p.m.: Here we go. Tip-off is just moments away in the first win-or-go-home game of the 2023 postseason. 

7:06 p.m.: Raptors fans are out in full force at Toronto's "Jurassic Park" ahead of tip-off. 

7:00 p.m.: The Raptors are listed as 6.5-point favorites, per BetMGM. Can they get a win in front of their home fans tonight?

6:53 p.m.: The Bulls are ready for a fight to keep their season alive.

6:40 p.m.: One of the biggest storylines of the night is DeMar DeRozan returning to the city where he spent nine years as a member of the Raptors. He says he still has nothing but love for Toronto. 

What channel is Raptors vs. Bulls on?

  • TV channels: ESPN (US), TSN (CA)
  • Live streaming: ESPN+, Sling TV

Raptors vs. Bulls will air live on ESPN in the United States and TSN in Canada. Viewers in the U.S. can live stream the game with ESPN+ or with Sling TV.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the NBA's biggest playoff games on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! Stream Sling Orange for $20 in your first month to catch all the games on TNT, ESPN & ABC. For games on NBA TV, subscribe to Sling Orange & Sports Extra for $27.50 in your first month. Local regional blackout restrictions apply.

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Raptors vs. Bulls start time

  • Date: Wednesday, April 12
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT

The Play-In Tournament matchup will tip off around 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 12. The game will be played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

NBA Play-In Tournament schedule

April 12

Game Time (ET) TV channel
Bulls vs. Raptors 7 p.m. ESPN
Thunder vs. Pelicans 9:30 p.m. ESPN

April 14

Game Time (ET) TV channel
Heat vs. TBD 7 or 7:30 p.m. TNT
Timberwolves vs. TBD 9:30 or 10 p.m. ESPN

Sam Jarden

Sam Jarden Photo

Sam Jarden joined Sporting News as an intern in 2020 and returned as a content producer in 2022. In between, he spent a year and a half at Turner Sports, managing the social media accounts for Bleacher Report, NBA on TNT, NBA TV and others. A proud UNC alumnus, he spends his free time following the Tar Heels, Buffalo Bills and Newcastle United FC, and has been known to occasionally hit the links.