Kings of the Fourth

The difference between a decent team & a great team is the way they face adversity; after getting embarrassed on national television by the Golden State Warriors, the Chicago Bulls came out with meaning to secure a win against a great Los Angeles Clippers team. It was to my surprise when I read right before the game that Billy Donovan decided to bench Javonte Green & start Alex Caruso at the 4. I’ll be very honest, in that moment all I was thinking was what in the world is Coach Donovan thinking but he proved me wrong. I thought starting DJJ, someone with tenacity & length, would be a much better idea but I now learned that you can never go wrong with Caruso. His versatility & resilience was just pronounced last night. Billy Donovan continued to go small all night with DJJ playing the 5 at one point & it was to my shock to see the Clippers struggle against it. Holding the Clippers to 90 points is a phenomenal way to prove their defensive tenacity along with ending LAC’s 7 game win streak. Although the Bulls gave us all a heart attack in the fourth quarter, they bounced back & did their thing—as the third best fourth quarter team in the NBA.

The Chicago Bulls came out the gates with purpose, great ball movement & rebounding. With no turnovers in the first 6 minutes of the game, the Bulls looked like their normal selves—having one of the lowest turnover averages in the NBA. DeMar did his thing, back in his hometown, by getting to his spots & scoring extremely efficiently. The Bulls then got out to a quick 13-0 run, leading the first quarter by 13. Leading by thirteen was a double-edged sword as the Bulls sort of took their foot of the pedal & allowed sloppy mistakes to help the Clippers stay in the game. They allowed a 11-2 run by having five turnovers in the second & playing stagnantly on offense. Then the Clippers went into a blitz/trap defensive setup where they would blitz either DeMar or Zach, whoever was on the floor at the time, requiring the role players to make plays—something they didn’t do. Bradley had trouble catching the ball & finding the open shooter, something Vooch is exceptional at. Then DeMar did DeMar things by getting to the free throw line, slowing the game down & allowing the pace to be controlled. The Bulls ended up leading by 9 going in the break.

Zach came out aggressive early in the third quarter hitting a couple threes & a dunk. Having Caruso starting helped tremendously with hustle plays & allowing the Bulls to quickly get out in transition. That’s when the Clippers amped up their defense & started playing tough, physical defense—their style defense. Bulls then had a few turnovers & kept fouling, although I felt like the officiating was extremely inconsistent all night. Again, due to the stacking of Zach & DeMar, the Bulls struggled making plays when the trap came. The players kept running up to screen either of the two which allowed the defense to double & force someone else to play; this is an issue I’ve noticed in a couple games that the Bulls players sometimes seem to have trouble identifying when to stop sending or setting up screeners. It got pretty bad resulting in a 4-point game late in the third & ending the third with only a 6-point lead. The Bulls are one of the best fourth quarter teams in the NBA & after last night, DeMar leads the league in most fourth quarter points. They did struggle in the beginning of the quarter, again with the trapping. The Bulls continued to foul a lot, although the Clippers got away with push-offs & travels on many occasions, and played bad defense. DeMar was the only consistent scorer in the fourth until Zach stepped up & hit some tough buckets. The fourth quarter gave everyone a scare because the game should not have been that close, as the Clippers took a one-point lead early in the fourth. The Bulls then went on a quick 7-0 run to regain control over the game. It was still back & forth for a while with the Clippers having multiple opportunities to take over but we are all thankful for Wayoff P. The Bulls amped up their defense & had both of their best scorers due what they do best—get buckets. Caruso was everywhere while Zach hit some tough shots & DeMar ending the game with a smooth 35 points on 75% shooting.

Winners find ways to win & that’s exactly what the Chicago Bulls did. They had a rough night couple nights ago & came out with purpose. Zach & DeMar showed why they’re one of the league's best duos. Without their starting center & promising young forward, the Chicago Bulls are finding ways to win & create an identity— things an elite team does. They beat another playoff team that was coming off a 7-game win streak, all while on the road. The matchups don’t get any easier though as the Bulls take on a rough looking Lakers team, a team you can never count out though. Playing without LeBron James, they have moments of looking lost with Russ not entirely meshing well with the team. Carmelo Anthony looks rejuvenated & Anthony Davis does his thing. By no means is this an easy task, even with the Lakers poor play, especially after facing a tough Clippers team the night before. I can only imagine the nightmares AD & Dwight Howard will give us at the center position. As long as the Bulls can contain the role players like Melo & Monk, they can steal a win. The Chicago Bulls also get Coby White back tonight who will give a huge boost to the bench with his explosive scoring; the backcourt of Caruso & White will be exciting to see. I’m excited for the matchups & adjustments that will need to be made & anticipate another ugly game but definitely one that they can close. Lonzo returns to LA & Caruso will have his revenge game against the Lakers.