Opening night for the Toronto Raptors couldn’t have been scripted any better, as they dismantled the Chicago Bulls 135-92 at home in Scotiabank Arena. Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley contributed 20+ points each in the first regular-season contest of the year, punishing a lackluster Chicago defense at all three levels. 

Being that the Bulls are projected to be one of the bottom three teams in the intensely competitive Eastern Conference, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Raptors were able to take care of business with ease. However, this team is known for its dynamic defensive ability fueled by aggression and physicality. Seeing a similar level of attention to detail on the offensive end is foreign to this group, yet the numbers show they weren’t even as amazing as they could have been. 

For reference, the Raptors scored at least 135 points in regulation only seven times throughout the entire last season. Last night, the Raptors shot just 45% from the field and 32% from three on 10 makes. The lowest field goal percentage in the seven games last year was 57%, and with the exception of one game, the fewest threes made was 12. Furthermore, the Raptors shot at least 45% from the field in 58 of the 82 games last year and 32.4% from three in 51 games; this shows that Toronto had a below-average shooting night, yet they were still able to be extremely effective. 

With all this being said, the Raptors had to get their points somehow. The biggest factor was, unsurprisingly, their ability to turn defense into offense. Toronto finished with 35 points off turnovers and 34 fast break points. Getting 15 steals will obviously help in these departments, but what’s interesting is the Raptors didn’t maximize their possessions from incredible rebounding, as one may assume. In fact, the Raptors actually were outrebounded in both offensive and defensive rebounds; this just goes to show that pushing the pace after either a make or a miss makes a big impact on quick and easy offense. 

Two significant contributors to the team’s offensive flow go hand in hand: points in the paint and assists. The Raptors were able to outscore the Bulls 58-40 in the paint, while simultaneously outassisting them 31-16. Toronto was able to efficiently move the ball both in the half-court and in transition, but off-ball cuts to the rim have become a staple of their offense to increase spacing and create easy looks in the restricted area. The end-all, be-all came from the free-throw line, though. The Raptors shot 37-for-46 from the foul line; both of these marks were higher than any game last season. The referees weren’t favoring Toronto, though; the Bulls actually attempted 47 free throws, which is also more than any game for a Raptors opponent last year.