Toronto Raptors
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Ja’Kobe Walter looks ‘ready for the challenge,’ says Rajakovic after win
Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...dy-for-the-challenge-says-rajakovic-after-win
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 19: Collin Sexton #2 of the Chicago Bulls and Ja'Kobe Walter #14 of the Toronto Raptors battle for a loose ball during the first half at the United Center on February 19, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There might have been some post-All-Star break rust, but the Toronto Raptors took care of business on the road with a 110-101 win against the Chicago Bulls.
The Raptors were able to hold Chicago at arm’s length for much of the game – they led by as much as 14 and Chicago never led by more than three.
The Bulls mounted a late effort that forced Toronto to play real clutch minutes, but ultimately, the same things that propelled the Raps to an early lead brought them home to a victory: stout defense and (2026 All-Star) Brandon Ingram being a hooper. And while he didn’t play the final three minutes, Ja’Kobe Walter’s fingerprints were all over this result.
It was a game like few others: For just the fourth time this season, the Raptors’ entire roster was available. Head coach Darko Rajakovic elected to bring Jakob Poeltl off the bench – something the Austrian center hadn’t done since December 2024 – as he continues getting his legs under him off an extended absence. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles got the start over him.
Toronto got out to an early 10-2 lead. And while some of the timing was off on offense – it was a pretty long All-Star break, after all – the defensive rotations looked crisp from the get-go.
With all the starters healthy (well, Poeltl didn’t quite look healthy, but he played), the Raptors’ bench unit was able to play in their natural roles, and they looked great. Jamal Shead fought through a screen and forced an offensive foul early on by Isaac Okoro. Ja’Kobe Walter did the same thing with Collin Sexton. It’s the little things! (An aside: How frequently do both teams in an NBA game have a player named Collin?)
The Bulls finished the first quarter with a paltry 11 turnovers. There may have been some rust (and new teammate syndrome) involved on Chicago’s side, but those turnovers were very much a result of the Raptors sending unpredictable double teams, chasing loose balls with force, and effectively walling off the paint.
Alas, the Raptors got off to a rough shooting start, and only won the quarter 25-23 despite attempting 10 more field goals than Chicago.
The Raptors’ stifling defense held up in the second quarter as they went on a 12-0 run that opened up their lead. Bulls guard Anfernee Simons, recently acquired from the Boston Celtics, hit a couple timely threes in the quarter that stopped the bleeding.
But Ingram was in something of a flow state, and dropped 17 points in the half. He and Barnes combined for more than half the team’s first-half points. Ingram finished the game with 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and shot 3/5 from beyond the arc. (The rest of the team was a combined 4/18. Yuck!)
Walter, meanwhile, played one of his best games of the season, scoring 14 points with four boards and three steals in 22 minutes, and making a case for the rotation spot above Gradey Dick. He was incredibly active on defense, and made a couple big offensive plays in the third quarter from the same left corner – one was a missed three where he got his own rebound and hit a reverse layup, and the other was a made three to make it 78-64, the largest lead of the game.
A 7-0 run driven by point guard Tre Jones brought the Bulls back to within seven in the third; he also scored a buzzer beating layup off a Raptors’ defensive breakdown. Ingram made some nice plays toward the end of the quarter, including a beautiful touch pass to Murray-Boyles (not his last one of the game, mind you) and one of a few effortless looking mid-range jumpers.
The Bulls closed the gap to four points early on in the fourth quarter. Quickley, who finished with 14 points on 5/12 shooting, was feeling it with his floaters, and hit a couple that kept the Raptors ahead.
With the score at 96-92, a key sequence ensued that encapsulated the Raptors’ defense-to-offense success and the game’s often frantic pace: Jamal Shead stole the ball off Rob Dillingham, diving to the floor to grab it, then flipped the ball to Quickley who led a fast-break that ended with a corner three by none other than Ja’Kobe Walter.
After another Shead bucket and a monster help-side block by (2026 All-Star) Scottie Barnes, the Raptors took what felt like a potentially commanding 103-94 lead. But the Bulls respondedwith a 7-0 run, capped off by another timely Simons three, and the score was 103-101 Raps.
Then Brandon Ingram won the basketball game.
From the top of the key, Ingram made his second of the aforementioned touch passes to Murray-Boyles, who’d gotten deep post position in a mismatch against Simons, and drew an and-one. Then, after a defensive stop, Ingram hit another one of his effortless-looking mid-range buckets, this one serving as the dagger. Murray-Boyles blocked a Simons three to put icing on the cake.
This was one of those many nights when Raptors fans are thankful to have Brandon Ingram, a true hooper, to bail out the offense on a night when the threes are simply not falling. The Bulls scored 15 more points on threes, but the Raptors’ stellar defense made up for that math as they forced 23 turnovers vs giving up 14.
Ingram was complimentary of Walter after the game, and gave the sophomore credit for his defense.
“We actually went at it in practice a little bit the other day where he got into my shit,” he said. “He makes guys not want to dribble the basketball.”
Barnes finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists, along with two steals and a block. RJ Barrett was a team-high +14, and scored 13 points with six rebounds. Gradey Dick played nine scoreless minutes, and did not make much of a case to get Walter’s minutes. But ultimately it was very refreshing to see what looks like the team’s true 10-man rotation, depending your thoughts on Jamison Battle.
The Raptors remain in the Midwest as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon. They’re currently 2.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at fifth in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls, who made a few deals at the trade deadline that have put them squarely on a rebuilding path, are not the most formidable opponent. But tonight was a solid showing for the Raptors coming off an extended break, and particularly for Ingram and Walter, who may just be solidifying his role with the team.
Rajakovic said as much when asked about Walter getting bigger minutes: “There’s a growing confidence with our group that he’s ready for the challenge,” he said.
Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...dy-for-the-challenge-says-rajakovic-after-win
