With the Trade Deadline in the rear-view, how were the Toronto Raptors able to pull off the home victory over the fire-sold Chicago Bulls?

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It was a hectic trade deadline, with a number of major trades occurring over the past week. The Toronto Raptors nor the Chicago Bulls were immune. In fact, Chicago had a complete fire-sale, switching out eight players for eight new ones since the beginning of the month. Toronto also got involved, but with a little more restraint, as they dealt Ochai Agbaji in one trade and acquired Trayce Jackson-Davis in a another.

But when the dust settled, games were still scheduled. No time to rest, as these two Eastern Conference teams faced off North of the Border on Thursday night.

The home-standing Raptors quickly got to business, working their way to a 48-33 lead with 8:12 left in the second quarter. However, the Bulls swung back, eventually getting the game back to a 76-all tie with 6:51 left in the third quarter. But Toronto had one more push in them, as an immediate 10-0 run put them back in the driver’s seat for good, ultimately winning 123-107.

Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 33 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Immanuel Quickley followed up with 24 points and five assists. Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili (off the bench) chipped in 17 points. All-Star Scottie Barnes contributed 13 points and seven assists.

New arrival Anfernee Simons paced the Bulls with 22 points, Matas Buzelis added 18 points, and Guerschon Yabusele pitched in 15 from off the bench.

On a day fraught with uncertainty, the Raptors walked away with a home win. Here’s a look at some of the key reasons behind Thursday night’s result.

The Raptors’ defense was as attentive as ever.

The fifth-place Toronto Raptors have the sixth-best defense in the NBA this season. This athletic squad that’s long on wingspan and heavy on communication has propelled themselves into playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. As they swapped out just one rotation player at the trade deadline, the continuity remained on Thursday night.

Coming off of a close 128-126 loss to the Timberwolves the night before, Toronto had heavy motivation to get out on the right foot against the Bulls. That’s exactly what they did, forcing five turnovers during their initial 48-33 start while only giving up one. The Bulls managed to get back into the game and tie it up in the third. However, the Raptors re-activated their defensive commitment, forcing nine turnovers during the final 19 minutes of the game, only conceding five.

But it wasn’t just about turnovers, as the Raptors managed to keep the Bulls cold from the field for most of the game. During the Raptors first half run and the one that decided the game, Toronto outscored Chicago 95-64, holding the Bulls to 24-of-64 (37.5%) shooting over those combined spans.

That’ll Show ‘Em: How Brandon Ingram got hot.

The Toronto Raptors will have representation at the 2026 All-Star Game in the form of multi-faceted forward Scottie Barnes. However, teammate Brandon Ingram one of the more notable snubs when the All-Star rosters were announced. Head coach Darko Rajokovic told Ingram to use it as a chip on his shoulder. Ingram has taken that advice to heart, and particular did on Thursday night.

Ingram locked in with a game-high 33 points, 22 of them coming in the first half. He was electric from all three levels. Brandon went 5-of-9 from three, 5-of-9 on two-pointers outside of the restricted area, made both of his shots under the basket, and even nailed all four of his free throw attempts.

Brandon Ingram is in his tenth season, and has been a steady offensive presence his entire career. In fact, 2025-26 is his seventh consecutive season average more than 20 points per game. When someone is this consistent, sometimes that production can go unnoticed. The rest of this season gives Ingram a full canvas on which to show people what is missing from Los Angeles during this All-Star Weekend.

The Chicago Bulls’ adjustment period has begun.

Arturas Karnisovas, Bulls EVP of Basketball Operations, has spent February turning the team over. Rather it’s a matter of start a new contending window, or covertly tanking the rest of this season in hopes of getting a top prospect, either way AK has face-lifted this squad in a major way.

Since the beginning of February, the Bulls parted ways with Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Jevon Carter, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, and two-way player Emanuel Miller. In turn, Chicago imported Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Jaden Ivey, Rob Dillingham, Nick Richards, Guerschon Yabusele, Leonard Miller, and Mac McClung to fill the vacant two-way slot.

Needless to say, this turnover will lead to a heavy adjustment period. That period started in full force on Thursday night. Four of the eight new arrivals made the trip up north to Toronto, so there are plenty more growing pains to be had over the ensuing games.

All told, three of the acquisitions had solid games. Ivey, Simons, and Yabusele all finished in double-figures, combining for 50 points on 50% shooting from the field (19-of-38) and from three (12-of-24). Meanwhile, McClung, who returns to the Bulls after making his NBA debut with the team in 2021, went a rough 2-of-7 (28.6%).

The Bulls certainly played like a team that was unfamiliar with each other, but doing their best to figure it out. There was plenty of hustle and teamwork, but also plenty of sloppiness and miscommunication. Three-point shooting was the facet that kept Chicago afloat for much of the game, the key reason they tied the game at 76. The Bulls shot 12-of-27 (44.4%) from three during the second and third quarters.

Unfortunately for Chicago, the team ultimately ran out of gas. The Bulls shot 8-of-24 from the field in the fourth quarter and committed four turnovers while only forcing two. It was a valiant effort by these newly-assembled squad, but the better-established Raptors were able to prevail and secure the home win.