Bulls Avoid a Breakdown

The anticipated return of Zach LaVine & Javonte Green came with the news of DeMar DeRozan sitting out for rest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It made sense, DeMar had taken the burden of carrying the Bulls offense, especially the last few games. Zach didn’t have a minute's restriction & was good to go. He looked good to go as well; filling up the stat sheet with 23, 7 & 7—all in 35 minutes of playing time. This was a classic show by the Chicago Bulls, they go up by a large number & just start playing sloppy—blowing a 28-point lead. This was reminiscent of a very similar game last year, a game against OKC, where the Bulls blew a huge lead & let them come back to win. Luckily, that didn’t happen this time around. Although Javonte didn’t stuff the stat sheet, his presence was immediately felt on defense & hustle. Vooch had a “redemption” game with 26-points on 55% shooting & snagging 15 boards. His energy on defense looked way better & there were fewer mental lapses. This was much needed with his recent struggles on both offense & defense. The Bulls avoid a scare & pull out a win in OKC, snapping a 5-game road game skid.

The energy & intensity of the Chicago Bulls was different & it was sensed off the bat. Clearly, the return of Zach LaVine, an all-star, had a large impact on the team. The first half was all Ayo Dosunmu though. Hadn’t missed a shot the entire first half & played exceptional defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Bulls were getting out in transition with the help of active hands on defense; transition buckets were something the Bulls have been lacking of late & was great to see. The Bulls moved the ball well with ten assists in the quarter, equaling the total number of assists in the entire game against the Magic. The Bulls led the Thunder, 35-27. The second quarter started off a little rough with some careless turnovers & missing open shots. The Thunder began creeping back into the game but the Bulls continued to play solid defense & get their hands in the passing lanes. The Bulls began to go inside to Vooch which helped the inside-outside game. Vooch played solid defense logging in a block & a steal to go along with his seven points in the first half. Ayo continued his perfect shooting from the field, dropping in 18 in the first half, complimented by 10 & 5 from Zach LaVine. The Bulls looked like this one was theirs going into the half up by 10.

The Bulls came out of halftime roaring. In the first six minutes, the Bulls went on a 26-8 run & had a comfortable 28-point lead. This was the best they’ve looked since their game against Detroit. Then, as they usually do, took their foot of the gas. The Bulls began to play a little sloppy on both offense & defense. They let the Thunder chip away the large lead & gain confidence. Shai got going & got his teammates involved, dropping in 12 points & 5 assists in the quarter. Often times when the Bulls would look flustered, DeMar was there to calm them down—this time he was not. The Bulls ended up scoring only eight points in the final six minutes compared to their 26 in the first six minutes; it would’ve only been five points in the final six minutes if Ayo hadn’t cashed a 50-foot heave at the end of the quarter. The Bulls allowed the Thunder to go on a 22-8 run & let them gain confidence going into the final frame. The Bulls had trouble with ball security in the fourth quarter giving up seven turnovers & struggling against full-court pressure & traps. The Thunder did shoot extremely well, 46% from the field, thanks to defensive miscues from the Bulls. Ayo fouling out was a tough loss for Chicago as well, letting Shai do whatever he pleased. The Thunder continued to reduce the Bulls lead & trailed by six points with about three minutes remaining. This is where DeMar was missed; Zach LaVine being the closer, was the primary ball-handler in the final possessions but led multiple empty possessions by bad clock management & bad shots. Zach also had a major defensive lapse where Josh Giddey back-cut for a layup to make it a one-point game with about 15 seconds left in the game. He did end up hitting two clutch free throws to put the game away. Vooch should be given his flowers for keeping the Bulls afloat in the beginning of the quarter with ten points. His defense down the stretch was very good & he looked the best he’s looked since the Detroit game. The Bulls avoided a complete breakdown & secured their 29th win.

The Bulls got pretty lucky & this is something an elite team should not be going through. Of course, the Bulls have their share of injuries but against a bad team there isn’t room for many excuses. Defense is something Billy Donovan has preached since he was brought in & the team needs to realize that defense wins championships. It was great to see Zach & Javonte back with the Bulls, especially with the loss of Caruso, Ball & now DJJ. The Bulls reported last night that Derrick Jones Jr., who was supposed to return soon, suffered a index fingers fracture in his non-shooting hand & will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks. Seems like 6-8 weeks is just the Bulls motto now. The Bull take on Toronto tonight in Chicago, a makeup game from December 16th. DeMar will return from his rest & the Bulls should be able to secure one more for the win column.