AP

The Toronto Raptors clinched their first division title with some help from the Chicago Bulls, who preserved their chances of winning the Central Division for the first time since the Michael Jordan era.

Chris Bosh had 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Toronto beat the Philadelphia 76ers 94-85 on Friday night. The Raptors, who already clinched their first postseason berth since 2002, won the Atlantic Division when Chicago beat New Jersey 105-74.

“You come to all of these arenas and they have division championship banners up in the rafters,” Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said. “If you are trying to start a culture of winning, these guys need to start seeing the fruits of their labor and those things are important.”

Toronto, which became the first Canadian-based team to win an NBA division title, also kept its slim lead over Miami for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors’ 43 victories are already a 16-win improvement from last season’s total of 27, marking the league’s biggest turnaround this season.

“Nobody believed we’d be able to win our division,” guard T.J. Ford said. “Now we’re setting standards of how Toronto basketball will be like.”

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