76ers Playoff Watch: Toronto Raptors Eliminated by Chicago Bulls

Philadelphia 76ers' Eastern Conference rivals, the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors, battled it out in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday.

Last year, the Philadelphia 76ers were the team to eliminate the Toronto Raptors from playoff contention. As the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers faced the fifth-seeded Raptors in a series that went six games before the Raptors fell short 4-2. This year, the Chicago Bulls were the team to end the Raptors’ run prematurely.

This time around, Toronto didn’t crack a top-six seed. Instead, they finished ninth with a 41-41 record. The Raptors clinched a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. In order for them to make the playoffs this season, they needed to win two games in a row.

On Wednesday night, the Raptors hosted the Bulls. Going into the matchup, Toronto had a 2-1 record over Chicago this season, with both of their wins coming at home at the Scotiabank Arena. 

The Raptors had the advantage and grabbed themselves a comfortable lead in the first half of action. At halftime, the Raptors led the Bulls 58-47. Toronto star Pascal Siakam was putting his championship experience to good use as he had 20 points in 21 minutes.

Toronto increased its lead to 19 points in the second half, but the Bulls weren’t going down without a fight. Heading into the fourth quarter, Chicago trailed 81-72. Then in the fourth quarter, Bulls star Zach LaVine put a strong performance on display as he checked in for the entire quarter.

Draining three of his six shots from the field and going 6-6 from the charity stripe, LaVine produced 13 points in the final quarter. With some help from the former Raptors DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls put together a 37-24 rally in the fourth, surpassing the Raptors.

By the end of the night, Chicago had defeated the Raptors 109-105. With that comeback win, the Raptors found themselves eliminated from the Play-In Tournament, stopping them short of their goals of acquiring the East’s sixth seed.

Next up, the Bulls will pay a visit to the Miami Heat on Friday night. The winner will keep their season alive and draw a first-round playoff matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The loser goes home.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.