With a 123-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets Friday, the Bulls have a three-game winning streak for the first time since Feb. 23, 2019.
Here’s what stood out:
Core comes to play
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Bulls fans have been yearning for Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen to find flow in concert with one another for -- really -- years. We’ve seen both take steps forward on the offensive end under Billy Donovan. We’ve seen strides in their pick-and-roll chemistry.
Against the Hornets, they led the offensive charge. LaVine posted 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting (2-for-3 from 3) in the first half, while Markkanen scored 13 points on 6-for-10. Out of the third quarter gate, the team's first made field goal came on a LaVine swing to a Markkanen triple.
LaVine ended the night with 25 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds including 9 points in the fourth quarter that helped ice the contest. That was the sixth straight game -- and ninth in the last 10 -- that LaVine has posted five or more assists. Markkanen scored 23 points on 10-for-17, balancing his attempts evenly between 2- (9) and 3-point (8) range.
"We work on it with Zach, obviously there was talks early in previous years that we wouldn't be able to do that," Markkanen said. "We're getting our shots up at the practice, from pick-and-roll or DHOs... We're going in a better direction."
In 2019-20, LaVine and Markkanen each scored 20 or more points in the same game six times in 46 chances. In eight games playing together this year, they’ve achieved that feat three times.
NBA
Coby White, too, notched a needed performance, tallying 18 points, 8 assists and 2 steals.
"I tell you what, he made some great plays when he got into the middle of the lane against their zone and he kicked the ball out and he generated shots for some guys. I thought he really worked hard on the defensive end of the floor. I thought he played well. I thought he played a really good floor game," Donovan said of White. "From a maturity standpoint, as he grows as a player he can’t just be about missing or making shots. Because he had some great drives and great finishes and got to the free-throw line even though his jump shot wasn’t falling. So I think he had a really good mixture tonight."
The three combined for 66 of the Bulls' 123 points. A winning formula.
Bulls’ bench continues to be better than most other benches
The Bulls’ reserves again stemmed multiple tides in this one. After the Hornets grew as much as a six-point lead in the first quarter, contributions from Thad Young, Garrett Temple, Otto Porter Jr., Denzel Valentine and Tomáš Satoranský helped secure a one point lead entering the second.
Then, late in the third, the Hornets turned to full-court ball pressure on multiple possessions to try and dig into their deficit. Buckets from Porter and Temple pushed the lead to 12 entering the final frame. Bench scoring ended 46-20 in the Bulls’ favor.
Young (8 points, 6 assists) and Temple (15 points, three 3s), especially, set an active tone defensively after the Hornets got humming early on the offensive side. Valentine hit two 3s and slung 3 assists. Porter scored 7 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. And in his first action since Dec. 29 after recovering from COVID-19, Tomáš Satoranský had 4 assists in 11 minutes.
"It was good to have Sato back," Donovan said. "You know he’s going to play with energy. He’s going to give you everything he has. And I thought for his first game back, having really two days with the team, he did a nice job tonight.”
The reserves' plus-minuses for the game go as follows: Young, +19; Porter, +15; Temple, +15; Valentine, +4; Satoranský, +4. Them pounding opposing backups is becoming a nightly occurrence. Young talent wins press conferences, but these vets are winning games.
Quick hits
- Gafford starts: With Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined due to a right quad contusion, Daniel Gafford got his first start of the season. He played a typical 19 minutes, scoring 7 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and blocking 2 shots.
- Off night for Patrick Williams: It was a homecoming affair for Williams, but he had a rare night where he looked like a rookie, scoring 4 points on 2-for-7 shooting. Concerning was him balking at multiple open 3-point opportunities.
- Hutchison on the fringe: Along with Satoranský, Chandler Hutchison was active for the first time since Dec. 29 after recovering from COVID-19. Donovan's rotation went 10 men deep, but Hutchison logged a DNP.
- Battle of the interior: The Bulls won the paint-point battle 64-52, offensive boards 15-11 and second-chance points differential 18-6.
Measuring stick game
Donovan downplayed the idea that a win over the Hornets could send a statement, given their relatively equal footing with the Bulls in the Eastern Conference hierarchy. He prefers to focus on incremental growth in a vacuum.
Still, this is a significant, quality win over a scrappy Hornets squad in their tier of the Eastern Conference. Two other measuring sticks: The Bulls, for the fourth time this season, eclipsed 30 assists (slinging 33 on 49 made field goals), and they won the turnover battle 20-17. The offense is rolling.
With the win, they move to 7-8. Next up: The Lakers at the United Center on Saturday.