CHICAGO _ The reasons behind the Bulls' nine-game winning streak over the Raptors dating back three seasons had forward Taj Gibson literally scratching his head before tipoff for the latest meeting between the teams.
"I wish I could tell you," Gibson said Saturday with his hand on his forehead.
Gibson also pointed out, "that doesn't mean anything now."
It may not have, but that didn't stop the Bulls from extending the streak to 10 in a row courtesy of a huge fourth-quarter comeback that resulted in a 123-118 overtime victory over the Raptors before a crowd of 21,195 Saturday night at the United Center.
Jimmy Butler propelled the Bulls to their third consecutive victory overall with 42 points and 10 rebounds while Dwyane Wade added 20 points.
After trailing 61-48 at the half and 86-74 after three, the Bulls came alive down the stretch, sparked once again by Butler. The veteran guard continued his late-game heroics with 10 fourth-quarter points to help the Bulls climb over the .500 mark at 19-18.
DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 36 points while Kyle Lowry added 27 points and 12 assists but it wasn't enough and the last time Toronto topped the Bulls remains Dec. 31, 2013.
The Bulls swept the four-game series against the Raptors last season but didn't appear to be in the same league this time around for much of the game. Toronto broke open a one-point lead after one quarter during which there were eight lead changes but they outscored the Bulls 33-19 in the second period. That came courtesy of the Bulls shooting 29.4 percent from the field in the quarter. The Raptors controlled much of the second half before Butler took over.
It was a satisfying result after the Bulls had claimed impressive victories over the Hornets and Cavaliers, respectfully.
Despite the winning streak, the Bulls continue to hover right around the .500 mark, putting them smack in the middle of the Eastern Conference.
"We are what our record says we are," Wade said. "Who knows what we're going to end up at the end of the season, if we're going to be a .500 team, if we're going to be below it or above. But right now we are what we are."
Gibson believes there is more to the Bulls than their 19-18 record.
"I look at it as we're under-performing sometimes," he said. "When we play the good teams we're real successful but when it comes to the teams that are struggling to find themselves we kind of don't take care of business (and) we kind of just go into the game and just expect to win. We kind of skip steps sometimes. The bright side about it is everybody in the East is trying to find themselves. A lot of teams have been losing a lot lately so everybody is a funk. It's about us figuring out what it takes to win."
They were able to figure that out just in time against the Raptors.
