Morning Box Score: Bulls Lose, Draw Celts in Playoffs

By Matt Motyka in News on Apr 16, 2009 3:00PM

The Chicago Bulls finished the regular season with a 109-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors at the United Center on Wednesday. Toronto, who never trailed in the contest, established a 14-point lead by the end of the first quarter and did not look back. The Raptors' Shawn Marion was red hot, making 15 of 18 field-goal attempts, scoring 34 points, and snagging 11 boards. The Raptors out-rebounded the Bulls by 30 on Chicago's offensive end of the court, limiting second-chance opportunities for the home team. Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose scored 23 and 20 respectively for Chicago, and Brad Miller earned a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The loss, combined with Philly's win over Cleveland, dropped Chicago to the seventh spot in the East. That means the Bulls will face the potentially K.G.-less Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs, which tip-off Saturday afternoon.