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Here:
https://twitter.com/BN_Bulls/status/1197543674546204672?s=20
Bullets time!
Throwback Thursday! Let’s start these bullets off by throwing things all the way back to the night of November 20th, 2019. You mean yesterday? What we saw from the Bulls last night felt like something we haven’t seen in years – a dominant, decisive victory. While the Bulls and Pistons swapped runs in the first half, the Bulls carried the edge throughout most of the game and completely ran away with things during the second half. Chicago outdid Detroit in rebounding, points in the paint, assists, three-point shooting, fast break-points, and most importantly … total points (you know, because that’s how you win a game).
Check out some of the highlights from a 109-89 victory!
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1197501162611605505?s=20
Of course, this is still the Bulls we’re talking about, so we can’t give the squad too much credit. The Pistons looked very rough with their two best players struggling to make an impact. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond combined for only 22 points and shot just 28 percent from the field. As a team, the Pistons hit on only 24.2 percent of their three-pointers despite coming into the game as the league’s third-best three-point shooting team (Michael: Credit the Bulls defense? Eh? Maybe? Okay, I’ll be quiet).
If you looked at Lauri Markkanen’s stat line from last night, you probably took a sigh of relief. The Finnisher had his best game since the season-opener, knocking down 24 points. He showed many positive signs, but the question now becomes whether or not he can stay on course. After the game, Markkanen told NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson: “Obviously, this is just the start. I have to keep working.” Truth. You can read more about what Markkanen had to say in Johnson’s piece.
He also did this at the end of the game, which is always great to see.
Shaquille Harrison had a +29 when the final buzzer sounded … so do you think he made an impact? Harrison is now the second out-of-rotation player to come out hot in his first taste of significant minutes this season. Daniel Gafford had an immediate impact on the team when he entered the game against the Bucks on Tuesday, Harrison had a similar, energized performance, recording a double-double.
We’re really only dealing with a one-game sample-size here, but Harrison made a strong case for more minutes moving forward. He played like a true two-way player, playing tight defense with three steals, but also dropping 15 points featuring an impressive double-clutch dunk.
I saw this meme. I share this meme.
The real Shaq and Coby from chicagobulls
Uh, the Bulls defensive rating isn’t all that bad. The team is 14th in the league with a rating of 105.4, and they’re also forcing the most turnovers per game. Even better, the Bulls are first in the league in average points scored off turnovers.
I still think seeing this stat can be a bit deceiving though.
Luol Deng hit us all in the feels with his retirement celebration last night. Joakim Noah, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and a bunch of other former teammates were at the United Center to celebrate. Look at those happy faces!
We’ll end with a real Throwback Thursday bullet:
https://twitter.com/HistoryJumpman/status/1197405677968224257?s=20
Hey! You know this guy: