Toronto beaten

Chicago Bulls end Raptors winning streak

Jakob Pöltl (right) in a duel with Patrick Williams(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Toronto Raptors' recent winning streak in the National Basketball Association (NBA) came to an end against the Chicago Bulls on Friday (local time). After five wins in a row, the Canadians lost 106:122 for the first time. Jakob Pöltl recorded eight points, nine rebounds and six assists. He also had a personal season-best five blocks. The Vienna native was on court for 33:53 minutes.

In a duel that remained open for a long time, an 11:2 run by the opposing side towards the end of the third quarter left the Raptors trailing by double digits, which they were unable to make up. The defeat also hurts because it widened the gap to the tenth play-in spot currently held by Chicago. The Bulls "scored superbly from outside, forcing us to defend the three-point line and we were too often one step behind", Pöltl stated. In addition to 18 goals on 40 attempts (45 percent) from distance, the franchise from the Windy City was also able to rely on more support "from the bench". 50 points came from substitutes, compared to 32 for the Canadians.

The Raptors were led by Scottie Barnes with 20 points and RJ Barrett with 19. In their next three home games, they will host teams that are currently in the upper regions of the two conferences. On Sunday, they face the LA Clippers (6th in the NBA West), who are coming off a 112-104 win at the Charlotte Hornets. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the New York Knicks (3rd in the East) and the Memphis Grizzlies (3rd in the West) will visit Lake Ontario.

Boston struggles to victory in New Orleans
The defending champion Boston Celtics struggled to a 118-116 win at stragglers New Orleans Pelicans. Jayson Tatum made the difference in the last second. He scored 27 points, one less than Jaylen Brown. In Philadelphia, the Denver Nuggets won an offensive spectacle 137-134. Jamal Murray (31) and Nikola Jokic (28) led the team from Colorado. For the 76ers, 42 points from Tyrese Maxey were not enough. The San Antonio Spurs swept the Milwaukee Bucks 144-118 after trailing 70-71 at halftime. Victor Wembanyama recorded 30 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks for the Texans. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 14 rebounds for the opposing side.