Bulls inch closer to playoff spot with blowout win over Wizards |
CHICAGO - It is amazing how one subtle move is sometimes all a team needs. In two games since acquiring Patrick Beverley, the Chicago Bulls (28-33) have looked like an entirely different team as they move closer to a playoff spot. Facing off against the Washington Wizards (28-32), who the Bulls are chasing down, the defense set the tone once again, helping to set things up for the offense.
Granted, the Washington defense deserves some credit of their own, as they managed to hold the Bulls to just 102 points. However, the Bulls defense stood out as they allowed just 82 points and picked up another blowout win 102-82. These performances have been few and far between, so seeing them have consecutive performances like that was huge. After scuffling a bit, DeMar DeRozan finally had a good night from the floor. He needed 15 shots to knock down a game-high 29 points and went 11-15 from the field. His counterpart has quietly started to look like the player the Bulls gave a max deal to, as Zach Lavine has been coming on as of late. His strong run of play continued with a 27-point showing and knocked down 11-18 shots to get it done. Those two were not alone in having strong showings from the floor, as two more players landed in double figures. One of those was Coby White, who continued to be the spark plug off the bench. Not only did White knock down three triples, but he finished with 17 points to lead the second unit. Take him away and only five additional points came from the Bulls second unit, with Patrick Williams responsible for five and Andre Drummond two. That usually wouldn't get it done, but when you have Nikola Vucevic capable of having big games, it does make things easier. Despite a rough 0-6 night from distance, Vucevic continued to go to work as he finished with another double-double, 16 points, and 13 rebounds in the win. While not the most talented team on paper, Washington does deserve a lot of credit for how they have played this season. They have talented players like Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, but Porzingis was out of action, putting more pressure on Beal. Although he did a decent job, Beal still struggled to hit the 20-point threshold as he led the way for Washington with 18 points. Former Chicago Bull Daniel Gafford has found his niche with the Wizards and continues to deliver strong games from the field. Granted, Gafford is not the most skilled big man out there; he did come away with 15 points in the loss while adding 11 rebounds. His name has surfaced in trade talks on many occasions, and you have to wonder if he will be dealt before next season. Along with those two came two more starters that landed in double figures for the Wizards, one of them being Delon Wright. Not much of a scorer across his NBA career, the former Utah Ute put up a solid showing as he finished with 14 points. Kyle Kuzma has been known to have outstanding games against Chicago and hoped that would continue. However, Kuzma struggled to get much of anything going as he went 1-8 from distance and finished with 10 points in the game. Although these are just two wins for the Bulls, they were two huge wins, bringing them closer to a playoff spot. Chicago will look to make it three in a row on Tuesday when they travel to Toronto to take on another team they are chasing down.
Don't look now, but the Windy City Bulls have started catching fire and pulled themselves back to .500 at 11-11. That includes their 123-108 win over the Westchester Knicks as the Bulls capped off a perfect 3-0 homestand this week. The newest face of the Windy City Bulls is Terry Taylor, who made quite an impression in his first game. Taylor led the Bulls with 23 points, but also added 11 rebounds in his debut. He was just one of seven players to top double figures, including all five Bulls starters. Marko Simonovic added a double-double of his own with 17 points and 11 rebounds, with Carlik Jones having a quiet night for his standards with 15 points. Henry Drell (13) and Jeremy Pargo (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers in the starting lineup, while Daniel Oturo (15) and Ethan Thompson (12) had nice nights off the bench.New Look Windy City Bulls Drub the Knicks
