Late turnover seals Bulls fate against Kings |
CHICAGO—Believe it or not, the Chicago Bulls (18-21) have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as evident by their recent play. Winners in five of their last seven, the Bulls have started to play to the level they have felt they could play, which has to be concerning to most fans given the situation with their upcoming first-round pick.
As to be expected, all good things must come to an end, and perhaps not having Coby White in their lineup against the Sacramento Kings (20-19) would be the game to send them back to earth. Despite White being out of the lineup, among several others, the Bulls found themselves locked in a tightly contested battle as they trailed the Kings by three points and less than 20 seconds to go. Then came the game's key play as Nikola Vucevic turned the ball over with 14 seconds remaining, leading to a pair of free throws by the Kings to seal the deal in the 124-119 Sacramento win. The game's biggest story was not White being out of action, but instead, his replacement, Lonzo Ball, was making his first start in nearly three years. What better place to make that start than in front of the United Center fans? Although he was limited to less than 30 minutes, he did more than hold his own as he connected on five triples to finish with a season-high 15 points, which is a massive step in the right direction. As has been the case for nearly a month, Zach Lavine continued to lead the way offensively, finishing with a game-high 36 points. Like Lonzo, LaVine also knocked down five triples and was responsible for 10 of their 18 made triples. He also pulled down 10 rebounds for his second double-double in his last three games but went ice cold over the final three minutes after keeping the Bulls in the game throughout the fourth. Although LaVine may have been the only player to reach 20 points for Chicago, the Bulls had five players land in double figures, with four coming from the starting five. Ball was one of those starters with 15 points, as was Vucevic, who added 18 points to go with seven boards. Josh Giddey rounded out the starting lineup with 12 points and 11 boards, and Talen Horton-Tucker picked up 10 points off the bench. Even though the Bulls lost another tight game, there was still time to celebrate as Demar DeRozan was given a great hand pre-game. DeRozan spent three seasons with the Bulls and put up some of his best career numbers and moments. Then, he dropped 21 points, which was part of a massive offensive output by the Kings. As expected, DeAaron Fox continued to lead the way offensively for the Kings as he paced Sacramento with 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Another player known for having massive games against Chicago was Domantas Sabonis, and this one was no different. Sabonis put up 22 points from an offensive side, but his 15 rebounds and eight assists stood out as he posted a near triple-double. Those were the three top scorers for the Kings, but they weren't the only ones having a big night, as all five Sacramento starters landed in double figures. Malik Monk added 18 points, nine assists, and eight boards for another near triple-double, with Keegan Murray rounding out the starting five with 14 points in what was a strong effort from top to bottom. Chicago will return on Tuesday as they will face off against the Pelicans.
BULLS EARN WEEKEND SPLIT WITH THE SWARM
Coming off a tough loss to the Greensboro Swarm (5-2) on Saturday, the Windy City Bulls (4-4) had a chance to earn a weekend split with a Sunday afternoon game at the NOW Arena. The Bulls defense set the tone, and the Windy City secured a 99-87 victory. Jordan Hall led the Bulls with 18 points off the bench, as they were without big man Adama Sanogo.
Six players recorded double-figure points for the Bulls, including David Muoka, who led the starters with 16 points. Muoka was joined by Alex Schumacher and his 13 points, with EJ Liddell adding 10 points and 13 boards. The Bulls also benefitted from Mike Miles Jr (14 points) and Jordan Jackson (10 points) off the bench to give Windy City a complete game effort.
