There may not be mandatory wins in the NBA regular seasons. But Monday’s game against the Raptors was something close to the Chicago Bulls as the stretch accelerates.
Result? A 113–99 win in which the hosts edged out Toronto 59–44 in the second half. Just what the doctor ordered after a series of three defeats.
Here are nine observations:
one. Patrick Williams received a huge standing ovation when he checked in at the first quarter five-minute mark for the first time since October 28… Then, 16 seconds later, he fouled Pascal Siakam on a drive to give the Raptors two free throws. attempts.
The good news is that the first sequence was the lowest point of Williams’ first game since his wrist rehab. He finished with seven points, two rebounds and an interception – a third corner delivery, a heavy layup that resulted in a close on the back line, and an interception and a goal as his offensive contribution while spending time at Siakam on defense. He chose his seats deftly and looked comfortable on both sides.
As a token of his excitement about the comeback, Williams also put on a rare playful smile after he went through with the aforementioned fast break, which he said was directed against Scotty Barnes on the Raptors’ bench. Two Florida State alumni shared a friendly chat.
After the game, Billy Donovan repeated what was obvious to spectators: Williams moved well and looked “really good” overall in his 19 minutes, six short of his 25-minute limit. Williams said he expects to play against Milwaukee on Tuesday.
2. Donovan redesigned his first unit for this, placing Alex Caruso as starting point guard in place of Ayo Dosunma. Caruso finished with six assists—the Bulls had 28 dimes to just six turnovers as a team—and hit two 3s, testing Fred VanVleet for most of the evening.
Because of the impact he had on the Bulls’ devastating defense, Donovan called the decision to launch Caruso “long-term.” According to the Bulls coach, he was just waiting for Caruso to pull up on him after a seven-week absence due to a broken wrist.
3. The Bulls trailed 55-54 in the half, due in part to anomalous free throw conversions (6 of 12). But the game turned around in the third quarter when they closed 21-8 – at one point scoring 15 unanswered points – to turn a two-point gap into a double-digit lead ahead of the final stanza.
There was a bit of everything in this 21-8 run that lasted about six minutes. Zach LaVine used several hard hits and sharp setbacks to score 14 points over that period. Caruso scored 3 and gave an assist to Nikola Vucevic. Williams had a six. In total, the Raptors made four losses, and the Bulls smoothly moved into a series of devastating fast breaks.
It was just as impressive a basketball stretch as this team had amassed in a few weeks. Maybe months.
4. In that vein, the Bulls rediscovered the devastating identity that defined their defensive success early in the season, scoring 29 points in 14 Toronto turnovers and 16 in fast breaks. The first figure (29 points from a loss) corresponds to their second best of the season.
“From start to finish, we played for the individual,” Donovan said. “The movement of the ball was good… And I thought we were trying to help each other defensively and we were active and we were able to get away in transition. And that’s what we have to do.”
five. LaVine scored just eight points on 2-of-6 shooting (3-of-6 from free throws) in the first half, but ignited a paradigm-shifting third quarter. He scored or assisted on the Bulls’ nine points in a row to catalyze an eventual 21–8 streak en route to 16 points over that period, scoring six of eight field goals and two of three triples.
“This is Zach, this is Zach,” Williams said. “Before DeMar (DeRozan) was here, Zach did it in every game. So it’s not news to me, it’s nice to see him getting back into his rhythm, back into his flow.”
6. DeMar DeRozan was also a good example. By now, you’re already familiar with the brand of high-scoring night he compiled – 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, 10-of-10 from behind the 3-point arc. But it was also one of DeRozan’s biggest defensive performances of the season. In it, he blocked three shots, threw an interception and made his first charge of the campaign on Chris Busche’s transition drive.
7. Troy Brown Jr. was out of the regular rotation when Caruso returned four games ago. When Williams returned, it was Derrick Jones Jr.’s turn the DNP.
The Bulls certainly appreciated the contributions of Brown and Jones as the team went through an injury-weary precinct, but this group is better when it’s cohesive enough not to need their services night after night. The Bulls’ 29 bench points in this game were by no means high, but they beat their all-season average of 29th at 26.5. And it happened on the day off from Kobe White (two points, 1 of 5 shots).
8. Dosunmu, who returned to a reserve role with the release of Caruso, led the charge in that department with 11 points, six assists and a 5-for-9 scoring line in 24 minutes. Donovan emphasized that the move to the bench is in no way a reflection of a rookie’s game.
“He was incredible,” Donovan said of Dosunmu. “But I also asked him a lot in different ways and he handled everything trying to manage the team… with this group, the defense can give us a little more energy.”
nine. It was a big win for the Bulls—despite the Raptors playing their second night of road road in a row and without Gary Trent Jr. and O.G. Anunobi.
As a result, the Bulls hold on to fifth place in the Eastern Conference but win the game against the Cavaliers, who lost to the Lakers on Monday, and, of course, Toronto. The Bulls now led Cleveland by 1.5 games and the Raptors by 2.5, and they officially ended last season’s streak.
Next up: at the Bucks for the second night in a row on Tuesday.
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