Patrick Williams made big plays. The opposing team fouled a three-point shooter. Jalen Brunson’s game-winner spun out. What is this alternate universe and how can I never leave!?
The Chicago Bulls normally don’t win games like the one we watched unfold under the bright MSG lights. They blew a 22-point lead on the road to a playoff squad and allowed Karl-Anthony Towns to score a season-high 46 points. The Bulls also turned the ball over 18 times and lost the battle from behind the arc. Adversity has never been this Bulls’ friend, but I guess they made amends last night!
- Even Zach LaVine sounded surprised that the ball had finally bounced in the Bulls’ favor. No one on this roster has seen defeat snatched from the jaws of victory more than the two-time All-Star.
“When I was looking at the ball on the rim, I just turned around. Then, I heard the crowd’s reaction. I went ‘oh shoot, we won!’ I thought it was going in, though,” LaVine told CHSN about Jalen Brunson’s game-winning attempt. “We did a great job. They took the lead, we ended up making some big plays, got some stops. Coby, Ayo, guys hit some very big shots [and] big free throws. You string enough of them together, you end up with a win.”
- The Bulls’ leading scorer is absolutely right. While the Bulls deserve a slap on the wrist for their turnover troubles, the team strung together the plays necessary to win that game. Heck, in hindsight, I’m glad they blew their enormous lead. Crunchtime basketball provides the best learning experience, and we saw almost every young dude play a crucial part in getting the job done.
- Dalen Terry splashed a huge 3 at the 9:40 mark of the fourth quarter. Less than a minute later, Ayo Dosunmu did the same. Thirty seconds after that, it was Julian Phillips’ turn. Even though the Knicks were going shot-for-shot, this was the moment that really grabbed my attention down the stretch. The Bulls’ confidence had not waivered an ounce despite the blown lead, and they stayed committed to their unselfish identity.
- Speaking of which, Ayo Dosunmu continues to stand out in late-game moments. Billy Donovan chose to close with the guard, and he rewarded his head coach. Dosunmu added 9 points to the board in the fourth quarter to go along with 3 assists. He drained four free throws in the final few minutes, including the two that tied the game with only 28.0 seconds remaining. Part of the reason the Bulls looked so comfortable in the clutch was because of Dosunmu.
- A handful of Knicks fans tried to pretend that Josh Hart didn’t actually foul Coby White. While it appears his arm only hit White’s hair, take a look at the hand. You can’t push a shooter in the back like that, Josh!
- I’m really hoping Patrick Williams learns from last night. Chicago doesn’t get off to their convincing lead without the aggressiveness of their starting power forward. Williams scored 11 of his 18 points in the first 7 minutes of action. The hot start clearly got him into a rhythm, as he continued to make some crucial plays on both ends of the floor throughout the night. This performance is a perfect example of how Williams can impact the game out of structure. As long as he runs the floor and crashes the glass, opportunities are going to find him on the offensive end. Lean on your athleticism and everything will fall into place.
- Zach LaVine is a new player. Finishing with a season-high 31 points on 12-17 shooting against New York, he also impressed with his relentless hustle. The veteran scorer also finished with 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
I’m not kidding …
This is one of the best sequences I’ve ever seen from Zach LaVine.
(🎥 @chicagobulls)
pic.twitter.com/sYANTj6dos— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 14, 2024
- Do yourself a favor and just watch the highlights …
- I respect what LeBron James is doing, but the argument that we didn’t see something similar from Michael Jordan is silly. He was still carving teams up with bad knees!
MJ in his final season (age 39-40)
45 PTS, 6 AST (55% FG)
43 PTS, 10 REB, 4 STL (60% FG)
41 PTS, 12 REB, 3 STL (54% FG)
35 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST (58% FG)
30 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST
23 PTS, 12 AST, 2 TO
22 PTS, 14 REB, 7 AST
21 PTS, 9 REB, 6 STL, 4 AST, 2 BLK https://t.co/d1MP0xtsRW— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 14, 2024
- It’s about dang time! Chicago Sports Network is about to drop an app, which will include a monthly subscription plan. Regardless, it’s ridiculous that they haven’t come to terms with Comcast or YouTube TV. Get it done.
- Yes, we’ve reached the point in the Bears season where we might as well start thinking about the draft. Matt Rooney has a new mock for y’all.
- We got a batch of very early MLB power rankings for next season. Brett takes a look at how the Cubs are expected to stack up.
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