Defense leads the way for a Bulls win over Heat |
CHICAGO - As frustrating of a season as it has been for the Chicago Bulls (5-9), one thing that is certain is they are a great defensive team. Even when the offense struggles, which it has for the better part of three weeks, the Bull's defense has kept them competitive, which is all you can ask for.
That was again the case at the United Center on Saturday as the Bulls welcomed in the Miami Heat (8-5) for the first of two meetings in 72 hours. When you talk about teams that have had the Bulls number in recent seasons, the Heat would rank right up on that list, although the Bulls have had better luck with them lately. Things didn't look great early on, but credit the Bulls defense for playing tough and allowing the offense to chip away. That they did as they used a massive fourth quarter to pick up the comeback 102-97 win. This was a must-win game for the Bulls, and it is certainly a game they can use to gain even the slightest bit of confidence. Once again, the one thing that is driving most fans crazy is their continuous slow starts to begin games. They started slow and had their worst first-quarter showing of the season as the offense mustered 14 points and trailed 26-14 after one. Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with four points in that quarter as things were a struggle early on. Take away that quarter, and the Bulls offense started to get into a bit of rhythm as they outscored Miami in each of the final three quarters. That included back-to-back quarters where the Bulls outscored the Heat by two as they pulled within eight points entering the final 12 minutes. It may have taken more than 35 minutes for the offense to get rolling, but some would say better late than never. While the defense was still doing their part and holding Miami to their lowest quarter output of the game, the offense picked the perfect time to have their best quarter in a month, which was enough to lead them to the comeback win. Demar Derozan played a massive role in the comeback bid as he started to look like vintage Demar for the first time this season. He may not have had his best game, but with 23 points on 50% shooting, he led the way for the Bulls. One concern for him going forward is the lack of success he is having from the free throw line as he struggling to make his free throw attempts. In what has become the norm this season, Vucevic remains the Bulls most consistent offensive player, and with 15 points and eight rebounds that trend continued. Despite no one on the Bulls having a great game, all five starters scored in double figures, which is all you can ask for from your team. Coby White battled through some shooting issues to finish with 14 points, with Zach Lavine and Alex Caruso adding 13 and 11. Caruso has especially stepped up his game this season and is starting to prove he may be the Bulls most valuable player this season. A big reason for the Bulls lack of success recently, especially in their loss to Orlando on Friday has been a bench that has been non-existant at times. One night after the bench scored eight points, Jevon Carter got back to knocking some shots down as he added nine points for the Bulls second unit. Torrey Craig put together one of his better games of the season with seven points, with Andre Drummond adding six to shoulder the load for the Bulls. Like the Bulls, Miami is a team that has been offensively challenged at times, but to their credit, they are the one team that is able to win with what they have. Jimmy Butler is their best player, and he was once again the best player on the floor on Saturday as the former Bull came away with a game-high 25 points. Bam Adebayo backed Butler with an excellent game of his own and picked up 24 points with 10 rebounds. Adebayo has had plenty of good games against Chicago, and Saturday was no different. Those two may have done the heavy lifting for Miami; Duncan Robinson has gotten back to his old self and added 17 points with 12 coming off of four triples. Robinson battled through injuries last season and never seemed to himself, but he appears to be rounding back into form this season. He was the last of the Heat players to grab double figures, as no one else on the team had more than eight points in the loss. These two will be back in action on Monday as the Bulls will look to make it two straight vs Miami.
GAME RECAP: CHARGE OUTLAST WINDY CITY
With the Chicago Bulls struggling to win games early in the season, fans may want to shift their attention to the G-League where the Windy City are playing good basketball. After dropping their first game of the season, the Bulls responded with two straight wins and aimed to make it three straight on Saturday.
Windy City battled the Charge all four quarters, and for the most part, they were about as evenly matched as possible. Had it not been for the third quarter that saw the Charge outscore Windy City 33-28, the Bulls would've won, as that was the difference in the 104-100 Charge win. One of the biggest steals of the undrafted process this summer was former UConn big Adama Sanogo going to the Bulls.
One of the Bulls more consitent players in the Summer League, Sonogo is starting to come into his own in the G-League and with 21 points and 15 rebounds he delivered his best showing of his career. Fellow rookie Julian Phillips also had a massive game, adding 13 points and 11 rebounds to give the Bulls a pair of double-doubles in the starting lineup.
Despite those two being the only two starters in double figures, Windy City had plenty of production off of the bench, as that is what kept them in the game. Quinton Jackson added 17 points and nine assists to lead the bench, with Henri Drell adding 13 points and eight rebounds. Isiah Moore added 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Bulls. The Charge were led by Mobley, who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
