Brandon Ingram detonated for 31 points, eight boards and six dimes the moment Toronto left the break, shoving the reeling Bulls to a seventh straight loss and stamping the Raptors as the East’s most dangerous sleeper.
Ingram Flips the Script
Thursday’s 110-101 win in Chicago wasn’t just a routine post-break stroll; it was Ingram’s loudest statement since arriving in Toronto. The 28-year-old forward scored 13 of his 31 after the eight-minute mark of the fourth, icing the game with a cold-blooded 17-footer at 0:36 after rookie Collin Murray-Boyles’ three-point play had already sucked the air out of the United Center.
Raptors’ Post-Deadline Surge Is Real
Toronto is now 8-4 in 2026, the East’s third-best record since January 15, trailing only Boston and Cleveland. The Raptors’ 33-23 mark slots them fifth, a half-game behind Milwaukee and 2.5 clear of Miami’s play-in chaos. With the NBA’s third-easiest remaining schedule, per Basketball-Reference, the Raptors are on a collision course for home-court in the first round.
Bulls Spiral Without Their Anchor
Chicago played without head coach Billy Donovan, who left the team after the death of his father Saturday. Assistant Wes Unseld Jr.’s interim stint began with the same thud that has defined the Bulls since late January: zero fourth-quarter answers, careless switches and rushed threes. The Bulls have dropped 12 of 14 and are now 24-32, two games behind Atlanta for the final play-in spot, according to the official NBA standings.
Key Rotations That Sealed It
- Ingram-Barnes two-man game: Toronto scored 1.38 points per possession when the pair ran early-clock pick-and-rolls, per Second Spectrum tracking.
- Return of the guards: Josh Giddey (5 pts, 5 ast) and Tre Jones (12 pts, 6 ast) came back from concurrent hamstring issues but combined for five turnovers and a minus-19 plus/minus.
- Chicago’s cold corner: The Bulls shot 6-of-25 from the corners; Ingram alone hit 5-of-7 above the break.
What’s Next
Toronto flies to Milwaukee for a Sunday measuring-stick game against Giannis and the streaking Bucks. Chicago stays home for a must-win Saturday versus Detroit—another loss and the Bulls risk slipping four games out of the play-in with just 26 contests left. For Raptors fans, the message is clear: this isn’t last year’s play-in flame-out; it’s a rehearsed runway to a top-four seed, and Brandon Ingram is the jet engine. Keep it locked on onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest postgame breakdowns and data-rich analysis that beats the buzzer every time.
