No Zach LaVine (a foot injury expected to sideline him for a week). No DeMar DeRozan (ankle). Who would step up for the Bulls in the clutch without those two elite shot creators?
Meet Alex Caruso, who hit a game-tying 3 to force overtime against the Bucks.
WELCOME TO THE CARUSHOW 🔥🔥🔥
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) December 1, 2023
WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME pic.twitter.com/7bVbUR5rbo
In overtime, the Bulls just made plays and beat the vaunted Bucks 120-113.
Let Coby cook 🍽 pic.twitter.com/WJJCHT84hH
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) December 1, 2023
With their other stars out, Nikola Vucevic stepped up with a big game — a season-high 29 points plus 10 rebounds and six assists. Without their two isolation scorers the Bulls played faster, the ball movement was better, and the team had a season-high 32 assists. That ball and player movement helped spark a 14-0 run late in the third and into the fourth quarter, making this a game late.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting and Damian Lillard added 18 for the Bucks, who as a team seemed to settle for jump shots in this game — 48 3-point attempts (making 16, 33.3%) to just 13 free throws. The Bucks were sloppy from the start, playing like a team that thought they should coast to a win, and Caruso made them pay.
