LaVine and Dunn Symbiosis, Let Carter Jr. Eat, Talking Playoffs?!, and Other Bulls Bullets

Did you get your holiday shopping done?

Don’t lie to me! I got people in high, cold places that can let a certain somebody know if you’ve been a bad egg. Go get those presents, but only after you read these bullets.

  • Uh, Bulls, your confidence is showing. After last night’s 119-107 win against the Detroit Pistons, the Bulls locker room quotes were a bit more cheery.
  • NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson spoke with LaVine and Dunn following the game, and both were quick to compliment one another’s strong play. LaVine finished last night with 33 points (his 7th 30+ scoring game this season) and, once again, came up big to help the Bulls pull away in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Dunn might have only scored 9 points on the night, but his defense continues to establish a consistent presence on the other side of the ball. Combined, the two have recently helped create a more balanced attack.
  • Simply seeing these two work off each other’s individual success has been a positive sign this season – particularly after last year’s debate on whether these two could truly share the court. In fact, that’s part of the reason why we welcomed Dunn starting the season off the bench. However, I think it’s fair to say we’ve finally seen how their contrasting skill sets can help the Bulls stay in games and, ultimately, close them out.
  • Anyway, Dunn said the team is fully aware of their one-game deficit playoff position: “We understand what the standings are, we’re not dumb to it, we see it, and that’s our goal,” Dunn told the Sun-Times. “We got to go in Monday against Orlando and do what we do.”
  • Wendell Carter Jr. made a 3-pointer last night and Bulls twitter rejoiced!
  • I agreed 100 percent with Mark. I know this team needs rim-protector and wants to establish a presence in the paint, but Carter Jr. has the talent to be so much more than that. By not encouraging him to shoot, this coaching staff is only doing him a disservice. According to some of Carter Jr.’s recent comments, he’s been told to let it fly … I’ll believe it when I see more of this.
  • SATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (By the way, that’s one “O” for every point he scored yesterday).
  • Even with a 9th-ranked defensive rating, I’m still so hesitant to call this Bulls defense “good.” Although, facts like this are certainly positive.
  • The correct answer: Nice.
  • I see a little shimmer of hope when moments like this happen.
  • Zach LaVine shot 9-15 (5-7 from 3) and went 10-14 from the free-throw line. The LaVine we’ve seen recently is the one that can potentially win this team games. His numbers might be slowly getting closer to what they were last year, but he’s posting them in (at least what feels like) a very different way. He isn’t forcing a ton of shot and he’s hunting for high-percentage looks. I can dig it.
  • DO THE DUNK CONTEST, YOU COWARD!
  • Maybe don’t cuss out an NBA player because you didn’t get a free frosty. Just a thought.
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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