It's safe to say the Toronto Raptors' 2025 Summer League is off to a roaring success.
They made sure of it by cruising past the Chicago Bulls for a 116-72 victory in their Las Vegas opener.
And more than any effort on the offensive end, still impressive as Toronto shot 51.8 per cent from the field and 40.6 per cent from beyond the arc, it was its defence that did the heavy lifting.
The Raptors held the Bulls to 30.9 and 26.9 per cent shooting from the field and distance as they forced 34 turnovers by Chicago in comparison to their 17 made shots for the contest.
Toronto led for a majority of the ball game en route to a 44-point win — the largest margin of victory by any team at Summer League this year — after outscoring Chicago 27-9 in the second quarter.
Notably, the Raptors held Chicago to just one made field goal in that frame.
Leading Toronto's scoring efforts was A.J. Lawson, as the Brampton, Ont., native finished with 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting off the bench. Meanwhile, the 39th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Alijah Martin, also showed out with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists, along with a highlight-reel poster dunk.
Of the Raptors' starters, Jonathan Mogbo led the scoring charge with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, as Jamison Battle and Ja'Kobe Walter chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Collin Murray-Boyles, the ninth overall selection in this year's draft, was unable to make his Las Vegas debut as he was ruled out due to a left adductor strain shortly before tip-off on Friday.
Toronto returns to action on Sunday, taking on the Orlando Magic. Catch tip-off between the Eastern Conference foes, as the Raptors look to improve to 2-0 in Summer League, at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on Sportsnet 360 or Sportsnet+.
