Bulls turn the page on 2023 with win over 76ers |
CHICAGO - No matter how you view the current Chicago Bulls (15-19) season, you have to like the direction this team is going and the improvements they have made along the way. All it took was an injury to one of their best players for the team to figure out how to play basketball, and since then, they have been one of the better and more consistent teams in the Eastern Conference.
Looking to close out 2023 with their final home game in what was a six-game homestand, the Bulls welcomed in the Philadelphia Sixers (22-10) after knocking them off earlier this month on the road. Even if this Bulls team was at full strength, the Sixers are a tough matchup for them as they entered the game with the third-best scoring offense in the NBA. Down Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic only makes facing that team that much tougher, as the Bulls needed to find a different way to attack this team. Fortunately, the Sixers were down some bodies on their side, including reigning MVP Joel Embiid, which was a huge break for this team. Embiid dropped 50 on Chicago in their first meeting, and single handily tried to keep the Sixers in the game most of the night. Right from the opening tip, you could see how much Embiid's loss affected this team as the Bulls held the Sixers to just 17 points in the first quarter. That was the theme of the entire game as the Bulls defense set the tone in what was a 105-92 victory for Chicago. The 92 points are worth noting in this, as that was the lowest point total of the season for Philadelphia. Considering the ups and downs this team has had all season, this is a massive win for them as they now turn the calendar and focus on 2024. It's not too often when you can hold the Sixers to under 105 points, let alone 100, but with the Bulls holding them to under 25 points in three of the four quarters, their defense deserves a ton of credit. The only quarter that didn't happen was in the second when the Bulls allowed 31 points, but offensively, they scored 35 points to open up an eight-point half-time lead. Even when the Sixers found a way to battle back in the second half to keep things close, the Bulls defense put the clamps on as they outscored the Sixers in all four quarters to pull away down the stretch for the win. The balanced scoring attack from the Bulls continues to give teams fits, especially their starting five, who all scored in double figures. Leading the way was Demar DeRozan, who closed out the best month of his season. Even if he doesn't look like the DeRozan that the Bulls have grown to love the past two seasons, DeRozan continues to show up when called upon, as he led all scorers with 24 points and dished out six assists. Speaking of players coming off of their best month, Coby White will garner strong consideration for player of the month as he has played at an all-star level since late November. Even if he doesn't shoot the ball well all the time, he does so much more for this offense, and with 20 points and eight boards, that trend continued. One of the bigger question marks the Bulls will have to face when they return to action next week is what to do with and how to utilize Andre Drummond. Arguably the best backup center in the game, Drummond has been thrown into a starting role this past week after Vucevic went down with a groin injury. In those three games, Drummond has proven he can start and has been dominant, as he chipped in with 15 points and added 23 more rebounds. That makes two 20 rebound games over the past three for Drummond, and now it will be up to Billy Donovan to figure out how to get him more minutes once Vucevic returns. Rounding out the starting five for the Bulls were Alex Caruso (14 points) and Patrick Williams (13 points) as both of them continue to improve from one game to the next to give the Bulls the balanced attack they were lacking this season. Terry Taylor and Ayo Dosunmu also chipped in with six points off the bench, but the Bulls bench was less sharp than they have been in recent weeks. Without Embiid, the Sixers lacked that elite offensive scorer, as the offense would be tough to come by. Don't tell that to Tyrese Maxey, whose quickness and ability to create an open shot gave the Bulls problems. Sure, he finished with 20 points to lead the way, but Chicago made plenty of adjustments to avoid having him go off as the game went on. The same can be said about Tobias Harris, who got off to a hot start in the first quarter before cooling off in the second half. Harris was the Sixers most consistent big man and finished with 15 points, but without Embiid, Philadelphia lacked their dominating force on the inside. Unlike Chicago, which relied heavily on their starters, the Sixers did the same, but apart from Maxey, none struck fear in the Bulls defense. Kelly Oubre Jr and Paul Reed added double-figure outputs, but with only 11 points, it didn't make that much of a difference. Deanthony Melton added nine points to round out the starters with Nicholas Batum picking up nine off the bench to provide the bulk of the Sixers offense. These teams will meet for the final time this season on Tuesday when the Bulls head out East to begin their first road trip of the New Year.
Controversial Ending Keeps the Bulls Winless against the Swarm
Things haven't started the way the Windy City Bulls (0-3) would've liked since the Winter Showcase, but they had a chance to forget all that Saturday. Facing off against the Greensboro Swarm (2-0) on Saturday, the Bulls were locked into a battle only to have the lead with under 10 seconds to go. Looking for the win, the Swarm drove to the hole and had their would-be game-winner blocked as time expired to give the Bulls their first win of the regular season, or so they thought.
Upon official review, it was ruled goaltending on the block, thus giving the Swarm two points and the 111-110 win to keep the Bulls winless in a crushing loss. Chris Clemons continues to play his best basketball in years as he connected on 50% of his triples off the bench and led the Bulls with 30 points. They will need more of that from him, as the offense has struggled to score the past few weeks.
Another player who finally stepped up his game was Henry Drell, who picked a great time to show up. After turning his two-way deal into a one-year contract two weeks ago, Drell has gotten better from one game to the next, and with 23 points to lead all starters for Windy City, he continues to show the Bulls front office what he can do. Drell wasn't alone in having a massive game, with Quentin Jackson adding 17 points in what has been an excellent season for him, and at some point, you have to wonder if he will find his way onto the Chicago roster.
Kieffer Sykes (12 points), Derrick Favors (11 Points), and Jalen Harris (12 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Bulls on Saturday. Regarding Greensboro, they were led by Terrell Brown and his 22 points off the bench, as the Swarm had plenty of production. Jeremiah Tilman led the Swarm starting lineup with 20 points, while Amari Bailey and Marcus Garrett chipped in with 17 each in what was a hard-fought loss for Windy City.
