The Bulls Won Despite Zach LaVine’s Absence, Not Because of it and Other Bulls Bullets

March 3, 2020, by Elias Schuster Chicago Bulls

The MLB needs to get on this immediately, I loved every second:

I totally get that there would be logistical issues with doing live mics during the regular season, but MLB needs to realize just how awesome today was. KB and Riz mic'd up was one of the best things I've seen in a while. https://t.co/xkPaOIRMy7
— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) March 2, 2020

K. Now, let’s talk about the NBA.

When your boss asks you why you’re drinking a mimosa at work this morning, simply show him the Bulls 2-22 record against teams with an above .500 record. You see that right there? One of those bad boys came last night! Take that, Dallas! Nothing is more depressing than self-toasting to the Bulls’ second victory over a winning team on the 61st game of the season. But unfortunately, last night was arguably this team’s best game of the season. With no Zach LaVine or Lauri Markkanen, the Bulls were able to contain All-Star Luka Doncic and balance the scoring effort.
I’ve already seen a bulk of people wanting to address the fact that the Bulls won without Zach LaVine on the court. I didn’t even want to humor this storyline, but I’m a weak man. Admittedly, this isn’t the best look for someone who so desperately wants to be viewed as a winning player, but obviously, yes, the Bulls defense looked pretty good and they were able to keep up with one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. HOWEVER, this is just one game. I don’t think it’s fair to jump to any conclusions about this team’s potential win-loss column based on one pretty fluky victory. As The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry makes sure to point out in his postgame, the Mavericks could be a victim of circumstance. Dallas was at the end of a four-game trip and yesterday was the second of a back-to-back. I also think it’s worth putting out the team was without big man Kristaps Prozingis and guard Seth Curry, two players who’ve been vital for them lately. I give the Bulls credit, but I’m not ready to tie this victory in any way to a LaVine absence.

One man who certainly should be tied to the Bulls win – Otto Porter Jr. The veteran wing returned to the floor last night and left any rust in the locker room. Porter finished with 18 points and reminded all of us how desperately this team has missed a player of his caliber:

Otto Porter Jr. is back and it showed.
He ended the night scoring 18 points in 17 minutes of play to help the Bulls secure the W: pic.twitter.com/Ja0F3Gp8pd
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 3, 2020

Truthfully, with Jim Boylen at the helm and the toxic environment surrounding this franchise, I’m not sure how much a never-injured Otto Porter helps this team as a whole, but there is no denying he makes this team better.
Coby White keeps looking better and better.

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1234689773622697985?s=20

I love that you can tell his confidence has skyrocketed. Against Dallas particularly, I felt like I was watching White back at UNC. No, he didn’t bring the ball up or take complete control of the offense, but he looked incredibly comfortable out there. Not to mention, he looked to make the right play at the right time and helped this team secure a victory across the court. A comfortable and confident Coby White is a scary as heck Coby White.

I hate that this is so true.

If Jim Boylen had a couple more timeouts then I think the Mavs probably win this one.
— Mark (@mkhoops) March 3, 2020

I love that this is so true.

Still just 11 games into his NBA career, Adam Mokoka is fighting to make a name for himself with the Bulls and in the league.
Clamping Luka Doncic down the stretch of a comeback victory is a good start: https://t.co/aG6CHM33xf
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) March 3, 2020

Mokoka-mania is back! All credit to the two-way, unrestricted free agent. He forced one of the best players in the NBA to play all out of sorts. I’m not sure how much of an impact Mokoka can truly have on this team down the road, but he flashed plenty of potential throughout his time with the Bulls and in the G-League. Might as well keep giving him some clock over these next 21 games.
Was this the best Bulls sequence all season?