As the fourth player among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in fan voting – and still a possibility as an all-star starter once the injured Kevin Durant does the expected and bows out of the festivities in Cleveland – Tatum’s inclusion was a given.
Jayson Tatum savors third straight all-star appearance — Boston Herald
• The Toronto Raptors finish a three-game homestand (Feb. 1-4) Friday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors have won four in a row and six of their last eight. The Raptors snapped the Hawks’ seven-game winning streak with a 106-100 victory Monday in Atlanta. Gary Trent Jr.
scored 31 points and Pascal Siakam added 23 in the win. Tonight is the second of four meetings between the two teams this season. Toronto is 6-3 in the second game of a back-to-back set.
• The Raptors have won four in a row (Jan. 29 – Feb. 3). Toronto is averaging 116.8 points and shooting .441 (172-390) from the field, including 42 percent (60-143) from three-point distance, during this streak. Over the last four, the Raptors are +11 on the offensive glass (55-to-44) and have a +21 (52-to-73) turnover differential which has resulted in Toronto attempting 31 more field goals (390-to-359) than its opponent. Gary Trent Jr. is averaging a team-high 30.6 points over the last four games.
• Fred VanVleet has been named a reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland. VanVleet becomes just the eighth player in franchise history to earn an All-Star selection. He is the first undrafted player in the NBA to be named an
All-Star since Ben Wallace in 2006. VanVleet signed with Toronto as a free agent in 2016.
• Fred VanVleet is averaging career highs of 21.5 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 38.7 minutes in 45 games this season. He leads the NBA in minutes per game, ranks second in total deflections (178), third in three-point field goals (174) and fifth in steals (77). VanVleet has scored 20+ points 23 times, including 30 or more on eight occasions, and recorded nine double-doubles.
• Pascal Siakam recorded his team-leading 15th double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday against Chicago. Siakam is currently averaging 21.1 points, and career highs of 8.6 rebounds and 5.2
assists. He is one of just five players in the NBA averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, James Harden, and Nikola Jokic.
• The Raptors beat Chicago 127-120 in overtime on Thursday. Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 13 rebounds, Precious Achiuwa grabbed 11 and Chris Boucher had 10. Siakam, Achiuwa and Boucher all had five offensive rebounds apiece, combining for 15 of the Raptors’ season high-tying 22 offensive
boards. Toronto currently rank second in the NBA in both offensive rebounds (13.3) and second-chance points (16.4). Scottie Barnes has grabbed a team-high 113 offensive rebounds this season (first among rookies) – the most by a Raptors rookie since Jonas Valanciunas (121) in 2012-13.
• Sophomore Precious Achiuwa and rookie Scottie Barnes have been selected to participate in the 2022 Rising Stars, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 18 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland as part
of NBA All-Star 2022. Toronto will have two players in the showcase event for the first time since Andrea Bargnani and Jamario Moon in 2008. Achiuwa was also named to the World Team roster for the 2021 NBA
Rising Stars (the game was not played) as a rookie with Miami last season.
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – SCOTTIE BARNES #4
MIN: 36.2 REB: 7.8 AST: 3.4 STL: 1.0 TO: 1.9 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 14.7
• Recorded 21 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes Feb. 3 vs. Chicago (OT).
• Leads all rookies in minutes (36.2), ranks second in rebounds (7.8) and fourth in points (14.7).
• Has scored 20+ points in 10 games – the most by a Raptors rookie since Charlie Villanueva (12) in 2005-06.
F – OG ANUNOBY #3
MIN: 37.2 REB: 5.4 AST: 2.7 STL: 1.6 TO: 1.7 BLK: 0.6 PTS: 18.7
• Contributed 21 points and six rebounds in 42 minutes of action Feb. 3 vs. Chicago (OT).
• Has scored 20+ points in a single-season career-high 17 games; something he did in 13-of-43 contests last year.
• Averaging 19.3 points and shooting .534 (47-88) from the floor over the last six games (Jan. 25 – Feb. 1).
C – PASCAL SIAKAM #43|
MIN: 37.7 REB: 8.6 AST: 5.2 STL: 1.4 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 21.1
• Finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 45 minutes Feb. 3 vs. Chicago (OT).
• Posted 15 double-doubles in 37 games – three shy of his single-season career high set in 2018-19 (18).
• Has recorded multiple steals in each of the last five games (Jan. 26 – Feb. 3), totalling 14 steals during this span.
G – GARY TRENT JR. #33
MIN: 34.8 REB: 2.8 AST: 2.0 STL: 1.9 TO: 1.0 BLK: 0.3 PTS: 18.1
• Scored 16 points in 40 minutes Feb. 3 vs. Chicago (OT); added three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Ranks fourth in the NBA in steals per game (1.85) and seventh in total deflections (139).
• Averaging a team-high 25.4 points and shooting .477 (41-86) from three-point range in over the last eight games.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 38.7 REB: 4.7 AST: 7.1 STL: 1.7 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.5
• Tallied 21 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals in 42 minutes Feb. 3 vs. Chicago (OT).
• Ranks second in the NBA in total deflections (178), third in three-point field goals (174) and fifth in steals (77).
• The Raptors are 7-1 when VanVleet scores 30+ points.
INJURY REPORT
Goran Dragic (NWT) – Out
The NBA trade deadline in days away, and a blockbuster deal between two Eastern Conference contenders might be in the works. Ben Simmons has been the biggest name on the trade market dating back ages, and James Harden is no stranger to these types of rumors, either. A recent report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania […]
NBA Rumors: Is Huge James Harden-For-Ben Simmons Trade In Works? — NESN.com
TORONTO POSTGAME VIDEO: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2j8fgl17gig3szo/AAB_ze09Pd9gbmQ4iXZXs3URa?dl=0
 | TORONTO RAPTORSPOSTGAME NOTES |  |
FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 127, CHICAGO BULLS 120
DATE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2022
| FINAL SCORE | RECORD | HIGH POINTS | HIGH REBOUNDS | HIGH ASSISTS | |
| Chicago | 120 | 32-19 | Vučević – 30 | Vučević – 18 | Dosunmu – 8 |
| Toronto | 127 | 27-23 | Siakam – 25 | Siakam – 13 | VanVleet – 9 |
| KEY RUN |
Toronto ended the game on a 7-0 run to seal the victory … Tied at 120 with 2:38 remaining in overtime, Scottie Barnes hit a turnaround bank shot to give the Raptors a 122-120 lead … After keeping Chicago scoreless on three possessions, Gary Trent Jr. hit a three-pointer to extend the Raptors’ lead to five (125-120), before Pascal Siakam clinched the win with two free-throws.
| KEY STAT |
The Raptors matched a season high with 22 offensive rebounds … Toronto outrebounded Chicago 58-to-51, including 22-to-10 on the offensive glass, led by five apiece from Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher and Pascal Siakam … Achiuwa recorded 11 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench, and reached 500 career boards tonight.
RAPTORS NOTES:
BULLS NOTES:
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| 2021-22 SEASON-SERIES | ALL-TIME RECORDS | |||||
| DATE | SITE | RESULT | RAPTORS WINS | BULLS WINS | ||
| 10/25/2021 | Toronto | L 111-108 | Overall: | 45 | 53 | |
| 01/26/2022 | Chicago | L 111-105 | at Toronto: | 24 | 25 | |
| 02/03/2022 | Toronto | W 127-120 | at Chicago: | 21 | 28 | |
| 03/22/2022 | Chicago |
The view from left field 