Bulls stay hot with win over Hornets |
CHARLOTTE - We're going streaking, as in the Chicago Bulls (8-14) are on a nice little winning streak. It only took two months and an injury to Zach Lavine for this team to start winning games, as the Bulls are now on a season-long three-game winning streak. Keep in mind, the team has done this without LaVine in the lineup, bringing more questions to the current situation about whether or not this team is better off without him.
In the short term, that is the case, but if we look at the long term, that remains to be seen. Given the reports that have surfaced out of Bulls camp, fans are about to see if this team is truly better off without LaVine, as the All-Star guard is expected to miss an additional three to four weeks with a foot injury. That will push his return past Christmas and perhaps the new year, and at that point, you will start to see a lot of trades happen. For how random this new diagnosis was, you have to wonder if the Bulls already have a trade in place for LaVine and don't want to risk the injury, as there is a good chance he may have played his last game in a Bulls uniform. Knowing he would be out for a month, it was up to the Bulls to take care of business at the United Center, where they welcomed the struggling Charlotte Hornets (6-13). Even with the Bulls struggling themselves, they are a much better team than the Hornets, and this is one of those games you have to win. Initially, off the schedule, this was one of the two added games for the Bulls this season after failing to reach the tournament's knockout round, as was the case for 22 other teams. Despite an excellent first half that saw the Bulls lead by four, the third quarter proved to be the difference as the Bulls outscored the Hornets 35-20 in that quarter, which allowed them to pick up the 111-100 victory. An 11-point lead is a nice win, but when you are outscored by eight points in the fourth, the finish wasn't great, which is something the Bulls are going to address heading into Friday. With Lavine out, it has been up to other guys to step up, and Demar DeRozan has been playing his best basketball of the season lately. Another player who could be a trade candidate this season, DeRozan, wasn't sharp from the field, but with 12 makes from the free-throw line, he led the way with 29 points. He continues to look like the San Antonio version of DeRozan, and if that is the version the Bulls can get the rest of the way, they will take it. One player who has been struggling the past week is Nikola Vucevic, and Billy Donovan challenged the big man to pick it up. You could say the message was received loud and clear in this one as Vooch backed DeRozan with 20 points while adding 12 rebounds for his first double-double in over a week. You could make the case that the lone positive with Lavine going down is that it has forced younger guys to give the Bulls more minutes and step up their games. Coby White and Patrick Williams have done that, as these two could be two significant pieces in the future should the Bulls blow things up. A Player of the Week finalist last week, White picked up where he left off with a near double-double as he added 19 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the game. Williams wasn't as sharp and finished with just eight points for one of his worst games in the past two weeks, but with Alex Caruso adding 12 points, he was able to pick up the slack. Caruso is another player to watch as the season goes on, not only from the trade side of things but also because he continues to deal with some nagging foot and toe injuries. He is one of the reasons why the Bulls are playing better, and if he goes down, it will be a challenging task to overcome. That's where Ayo Dosunmu and Andre Drummond will have to come into play as they added eight and seven points off the bench, with Drummond also pulling down nine boards. Torrey Craig added six points, with Julian Phillips picking up two in another great win. Playing poorly is one thing, but to do so without your best player in LaMelo Ball is another, as the Star PG is nursing an ankle injury right now. When he is in the lineup, the Hornets are a much different-looking team, so you could say the Bulls dodged a bullet. Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier picked up the slack in his absence as they put up great showings. Hayward led the way for the Hornets with 27 points and has quietly been having his best season since coming to Charlotte. Rozier backed him with 25 points and seven assists as those two continue to shoulder the load right now. Those may have been the only players to crack 20 points, but the Hornets had some nice production from Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller. Bridges had the better of the two games with 16 points and eight boards, with Miller checking in with 12 and six. Not only were those the only players to record double figures, but for whatever reason, Charlotte went with a skeleton rotation as only eight guys saw time on the floor. That included PJ Washington and his nine points off the bench, but when you are only going eight guys deep, wins will be tough to come by, especially when you have no bench depth to help out. Chicago will look to make it four straight on Friday when they kick things off against Victor Wenbenyamba and the San Antonio Spurs.
