Head coach Darko Rajakovic and the Toronto Raptors won 110-101 Thursday night against the Chicago Bulls in the United Center. Ingram picked up right where he left off from the All-Star Game, totaling 31 points (game-high), eight rebounds, and six assists with two steals and three three-pointers made. 

With a difficult stretch of six games out of nine coming against teams currently slated to be in the playoffs, it was imperative that the Raptors start a winning-streak early to build momentum. To begin the final stretch of the season, Rajakovic decided to insert rookie first-round pick Collin Murray-Boyles into the starting lineup over the usual starting center, Jakob Poeltl. 

Toronto Raptors forward/center Collin Murray-Boyles (12) | © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Austrian big man, who is set to make over $103 million over the next five years, played in just his second game back from a 24-game absence streak due to a lower back strain suffered in mid-December. He played 16 minutes in Chicago (tied for second lowest in the 10-man rotation), adding just two points and an assist. 

Postgame, reporters asked the Serbian head coach what his intentions were for benching the usual starter for the aspiring rookie (via nba.com).

“We knew that the best thing to do is switching more [this game],” said Rajakovic. “I talked to [Poeltl], and he was completely fine with starting off the bench because Nick Richards was coming off the bench. We were trying to match up with him in those minutes. And also, I’m really intrigued to see what it looks like when he’s with Jamal [Shead] on the court, running with some other guys on the second unit there as well, so that was the main thinking.”

Murray-Boyles took over the starting center position during Poeltl’s injury, and he proved to be an excellent complement defensively next to Scottie Barnes in that stretch. His dynamic ability to switch and guard multiple positions, both on the perimeter and in the paint, has shown to be beneficial towards forcing turnovers and running in transition, as they look to do on a nightly basis. 

Poeltl is still on a minutes restriction as he continues to recover from the back injury, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reinserted into the starting lineup in Milwaukee. As Rajakovic mentioned, he may be more effective off the bench, specifically in a pick-and-roll duo with the second-year guard in Shead. 

There hasn’t been an indication as to when Poeltl’s minutes restriction will be lifted, but it is something to keep an eye on as the difficult schedule approaches. The amount of minutes he plays is one thing, but the more important detail to note will be not whether he is starting against the league’s best teams, but rather if he is in the closing lineup.

Rajakovic and the Raptors wanted to set the tone for the final 27 games of the regular season by continuing to beat the teams they are supposed to. Both the Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks, who Toronto faces on Sunday night, have negative records and are set to miss the Play-In Tournament if they don’t move in the Eastern Conference standings.