I know that sounds weird to say, but it certainly feels right when we compare it to flops against the Magic, Spurs, or Rockets. Even the great teams drop their fair share of games, and I’m at least somewhat comforted by the fact those losses usually look like what we saw last night.
On the home floor of the reigning Eastern Conference champions and current No. 1 seed, the Chicago Bulls put up a genuine fight. They held the NBA’s top offense to just 43.7 percent shooting and slimly won the turnover battle for the second-straight matchup. While there were some frustrating defensive breakdowns (especially while trying to guard MVP candidate Jayson Tatum) and clanked shots, there were also some encouraging crunch-time stops and big-time buckets. This included a high-end clutch performance from both Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic after fellow co-star DeMar DeRozan was forced to leave the game.
Indeed, the Bulls’ stars stepped up in the exact way they’re supposed to when the spotlight is brightest. LaVine dropped 15 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter to go along with 2 assists and 1 steal. He went 3-5 from downtown during that final frame, which included knocking down a cold-blooded 27-footer to bring the Bulls within two with just 2:17 remaining. Add this on top of what we saw from him against the 76ers and Jazz, and LaVine deserves an immense amount of credit for recently playing like the No. 1 option this team needs.
“You’ve got to lay it out there,” LaVine said after the game. “You’re not going to win by feeling bad for ourselves or we’re down a man. Go lay it out there and we’ll see what happens. We’ve come back against them before; they’re a good team. But we think we’re a good team, too. And a couple of little bounces here and there, I think it could have been out game.”
As for Nikola Vucevic, he continued his strong play against Boston with 21 points and 13 rebounds on 9-15 shooting. He dropped 7 points in the 4th quarter to help LaVine drag the Bulls back into the game. And this included *yet another* extremely clutch 3-pointer. Vucevic is now shooting 38.3 percent from long range on 4.4 attempts per game. Not only is this proving that last year’s 31.4 percent performance was an aberration from the norm, but it could be a big help in increasing his perceived value around the league (*ahem* trade deadline is less than a month away).
This Patrick Williams thing might be real, folks. While he followed up his two strong performances against the Nets and 76ers (where he combined for 40 points) with a 7-point effort against Utah, he did manage to snag double-digit points last night to go along with 3 steals. Considering the majority of his night was spent trying to guard Tatum, the fact he was able to add a couple of crucial buckets from long-range was nice to see. Hopefully, it’s just another example of him finally learning how to make a more consistent two-way impact.
The Ringer released their rolling list of the NBA’s Top-100 players earlier this year, and the Chicago Bulls had four players make the cut (DeRozan, LaVine, Caruso, and Vucevic). The latest update to that list still features all four players, but it only threw additional shade at the Bulls’ max man. After initially appearing as the 40th-best player in the league, The Ringer now has LaVine dropping 16 spots into the 56th slot. I know … what the heck!
I’ll freely admit that LaVine’s start to the year was disappointing. In fact, when they threw him into the No. 40 spot, I didn’t even complain all that much. But the fact he’s now fallen out of the top 50 despite putting together the past couple of weeks that he has is pretty darn absurd. Since the Bulls’ disastrous loss to Minnesota on Dec. 18, LaVine has gone on to average 26.9 points with 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds. He’s shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from long range on nearly 8.0 attempts per game. The guy is at least a top 50 player in the NBA who belongs ahead of names like Kristaps Prozingis, Julius Randle, and LaMelo Ball (just to name a few). I hope the next update puts a little more respect on his name.
The Charlotte Hornets will be a team to watch this deadline. Between Jalen McDaniels, PJ Washington, Terry Rozier, and even Gordon Hayward, this tanking team has a wide range of talent that win-now teams may want to add. If I’m the Bulls, looking at either of those first two could be wise (although, I expect both to come with a relatively high price tag).
“Sources tell me that the Suns have emerged as a team with interest in (Jalen) McDaniels, among several others in recent weeks.”
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.
A familiar last name will be in the Big Ten next season. Scottie Pippen's kid, Justin, has committed to the University of Michigan, according to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. The youngest son of the Chicago Bulls legend, Pippen started...
I was sitting at an empty table with my legs crossed sipping on some white wine. The rest of the group was up on the dance floor, sending over the increasingly frequent wave to join them. I followed up each...
One Chicago Bulls player has already taken home some hardware. As the NBA waits to announce its end-of-season awards, the G-League has started to share its top accolades. While the Windy City Bulls finished an underwhelming 15-19 on the season,...
Alex Caruso could be missing a foot and would probably still suit up for a do-or-die game. The Chicago Bulls' defensive anchor told ESPN's Jamal Collier that he expects to play in tonight's Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat....
The Chicago Bulls will do something tonight that I can't remember another one of my favorite sports teams doing. With a loss, the frustrations of where this organization stands will consume me. With a win, the frustrations of where this...
The Miami Heat are a better team than the Chicago Bulls. We can all agree on that, right? We're talking about a franchise with three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons. This included last year's historic run,...
The Miami Heat announced Thursday afternoon that Jimmy Butler will officially miss Friday night's do-or-die matchup with the Chicago Bulls. The announcement comes after Butler suffered a knee injury during the first quarter of the 7v8 Play-In game against the...
The Chicago Bulls aren't ruling Alex Caruso out just yet. Despite the guard having to exit Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament over the Atlanta Hawks, Caruso is currently listed as "questionable" on the latest official injury report. The Bulls' defensive anchor...
Joakim Noah hasn't played in an NBA game since September 2020, but he still can't stand the thought of losing. The Chicago Bulls legend recently appeared on an episode of The OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller for...
Coby White played the best game of his career on Wednesday night. In front of a packed United Center with the season on the line, White looked like the best player on the floor. He propelled the Bulls to a...
In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...
A familiar last name will be in the Big Ten next season. Scottie Pippen's kid, Justin, has committed to the University of Michigan, according to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. The youngest son of the Chicago Bulls legend, Pippen started...
With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...
And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...
The Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) will look to Daulton Varsho, who is coming off a two-homer game, to lead them in a matchup with the San Diego Padres (11-10) Friday at 9:40 PM ET on SDPA. The Blue Jays are...
Jung Hoo Lee (10 games) will look to add to his hitting streak when the San Francisco Giants (9-11) and Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) meet Friday at 10:15 PM ET, live on Apple TV+ from Oracle Park. Jung Hoo Lee and...
The New York Mets (10-8) will put their four-game win streak to the test when they visit the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9) Friday at 10:10 PM ET on MLB Network. Bookmakers consider the Dodgers to be -203 favorites, while the...
At 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the New Orleans Pelicans against the Sacramento Kings -- with Jonas Valančiūnas needing to score just once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Jonas Valančiūnas'...
Brandon Ingram's New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and to beat his 3-point prop, he must make two from beyond the arc.Brandon Ingram's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the...
CJ McCollum needs to make four 3-pointers to beat his prop when the New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the KingsCJ McCollum's over/under...
NEWSLETTER
