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Sunday, Apr. 16 3:00pm ET
Brown's 3-pointer caps Toronto's rally | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) -- Dee Brown saved the Toronto Raptors from an embarrassing loss on their home court to the lowly Chicago Bulls. Brown hit a 3-pointer with 11.5 seconds left as the Raptors came back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bulls 85-84 Sunday. The Raptors, who have already qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's five-year history, ended with a 26-15 home record. Their previous high for wins was 18 in 1996-97. Down 84-82 with 21.2 seconds left, Vince Carter picked off an inbounds pass from Fred Hoiberg. Carter missed a jumper, but Tracy McGrady got the rebound and kicked it out to Brown, who hit nothing but net. "Tracy found me and those kind of shots you dream of. That's playoff atmosphere. You got to hit big shots," said Brown, who has had his minutes cut back during the playoff drive and finished with five points in only 13 minutes. "I didn't really play until the fourth quarter, but they felt confident with me taking the shot." On the Bulls' last possession, B.J. Armstrong lost the ball when Brown stuck his hand in, and Chris Carr threw up a prayer at the buzzer that didn't come close. Carr then flung the ball into the stands after arguing he was fouled. After trailing by 15, Antonio Davis scored seven points during a 9-0 run before Chris Antsey hit one of two free throws. McGrady then drove to the lane to close the gap to 82-80 with 1:06 left. Armstrong made it 84-80 with 22.6 seconds remaining on a nice move to the basket for a layup. Davis was then sent to the line and hit both free throws to set up Brown's heroics. "Dee Brown made a big shot. He was sitting on the bench for a while, but he stepped up," Carter said. "We don't want to get behind like that. We have to keep every game close and play better from start to finish. We had to find a way to win. Everybody had a piece of it." Carter had 25 points, including 15 in the second quarter, and four blocked shots and three steals. Davis added 17 points despite being in foul trouble most of the game. McGrady had 13. "The ups have been the more than the downs and you guys have been awesome," general manager Glen Grunwald said to the crowd after the game. "In six or seven days, we'll start the test of where we stand as a franchise: Our first playoff game." Hundreds of purple balloons were then dropped from the rafters, and McGrady and Carter bounced them into the stands. At the end of last year's home finale, Carter promised the fans the Raptors would make the playoffs. The year before, Grunwald was booed loudly by the fans after a miserable 16-66 season that saw GM Isiah Thomas and coach Darrell Walker step down and Damon Stoudamire traded. Coming off a big victory over the New York Knicks on Friday, the Raptors looked like they already had their minds on the playoffs -- probably against the Knicks. "We can't take anybody for granted even though we've clinched a playoff spot and Chicago's at the bottom of the standings," McGrady said. "We have to take that (comeback) into the playoffs. Hopefully it'll be against New York." Elton Brand, with 10 points in the first quarter, led an early charge as Chicago opened a 25-14 lead after 12 minutes. The Raptors woke up in the second. Carter scored nine straight points, and McGrady made it 57-57 with 5:20 left in the third quarter when he drained a 3-pointer after Doug Christie stole the ball. Chicago led 67-61 entering the fourth and quickly went ahead by 15 before Toronto came back. "We should have had this game," Brand said. "For 3{ quarters it was our game. We build it back up in the fourth, but we couldn't hold them off." Brand had 24 points for the Bulls, who were 0-4 against the Raptors this season and have lost their last six to Toronto. Carr had 15 points and Armstrong added 14. Game notesThe Raptors can't finish worst than sixth in the Eastern Conference. ... Christie returned to the starting lineup after missing five games with a bruised right knee. ... Carter missed his first four shots and didn't record a point in the first quarter. ... The game was bumped back to a 3 p.m. start time after NBC elected not to televise the game. ... The Raptors had their ninth straight sellout. On the three occasions the Blue Jays and Raptors have played at the same time, the Raptors have outdrawn the Jays each time, including 19,800 to 15,325 Sunday. ... Armstrong, who is retiring at the end of the season, was the first-ever Raptor when he was selected first overall in the 1995 expansion draft. Armstrong never played a game for Toronto, getting traded to Golden State. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Chicago Clubhouse Toronto Clubhouse RECAPS Miami 95 Orlando 84
Toronto 85
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