Butler, Rose power Bulls past Raptors

The combination of Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose was simply too much for the Toronto Raptors, who lost to the Bulls on Monday by a score of 129-120.

Toronto held the advantage for much of the first half. They attacked Chicago's interior defense through Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 11 points in the first quarter. The center's consistency helped his team race out to a six-point edge at halftime.

Kyle Lowry helped Toronto push the lead to as much as 12 midway through the first quarter, but the Raptors' bench coughed up the lead, allowing the Bulls to narrow the gap to three. Chicago's defense should also be commended, as they held the Raptors scoreless for nearly six minutes.

The fourth quarter saw the Bulls pull away. With the Raptors having played the night before, fatigue evidently set in against the well-rested Bulls. Their defense went by the wayside as a result, culminating in a franchise-worst 49 points allowed by the Raptors.

Rose played his part in Toronto's fourth-quarter demise. He connected on all six of his shot attempts and scored 15 points to bury the Raptors despite the best efforts of his counterpart Lowry, who potted 18 points in the quarter.

Butler and Rose scored 27 and 29 points apiece, chipping in a combined 13 rebounds and seven assists. The Raptors were led by Lowry, who finished with 34 points and six rebounds.

The loss snapped the Raptors' six-game win streak and dropped their record to 22-7. The Bulls improved to 18-9.