Bulls kick off homestand with impressive win over Lakers

Kamil Krzaczynski - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Thu Dec 21 08:11:09 GMT-05:00 2023

CHICAGO - No one wants to get too ahead of themselves as there is still a ton of work to do, but these Chicago Bulls (12-17) are starting to become a team that no one wants to play. Keep in mind this current run that they are on is without Zach Lavine and with a 7-3 record since he went down, you have to ask the question.

Is this a playoff team without LaVine?

They sure look like it right now, and with a six-game homestand at the United Center set to take the Bulls into the new year, this team could start to make a midseason push. That homestand started against the first-ever in-season Tournament Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers (15-13), as they have been the center of the conversation around Chicago. Most of that has circled around Lavine and his desire to go there, and the Bulls have discussed the names they would want in return.

With this deal looking less likely by the day, the Bulls wanted to show LaVine what he could be missing out on if he is indeed traded and came out strong by controlling a majority of the first quarter. Even with the Lakers hanging tough at 14-11, Chicago stretched their lead to double digits and held a 33-22 after one.

Then came the second quarter, where the Lakers battled back to pull within six of the Bulls, only to have Chicago respond by outscoring Los Angeles by 10 points in the second half to pick up the 124-108 win for their season-long third consecutive victory. There is a lot to digest from this game apart from just how good this team has been lately, but you have to look at the team's chemistry, as this looks like the Lonzo Ball-led offense from 2021.

Anytime you have the fourth-best Net rating offensively in the NBA, you are doing something right, and that is what this starting lineup brings to the table, as they had a phenomenal night top to bottom. Demar DeRozan was in one of those zones where you felt like everything he put up would go in as he knocked down 12-16 shots for a game-high 27 points to go with nine assists and seven boards.

He wasn't alone, as eight players landed in double figures, including all five starters for Chicago. For the Billy Donovan offense to tick, they need a PG playing at an All-Star level, and Coby White is certainly doing that. Even with this being a relatively quiet night for him, when you look at how he has played in December, he still finished with 17 points while running things perfectly offensively.

You then had Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso continue to do their thing as both finished with 15 points, but their defensive prowess stood out and made life difficult for the Lakers. Nikola Vucevic rounded out the starters with a relatively quiet 13 points, but he did haul in 10 boards and continued to be a force on the glass.

One of the most significant issues the Bulls had earlier in the season was their inability to have consistent bench scoring. That has changed over the past month, but in this one, the Bulls bench gave them an added lift that no one expected. Once again, Ayo Dosunmu set the tone with 14 points, while Jevon Carter added 10. However, Andre Drummond was a man on a mission and, despite only picking up seven rebounds, added 11 points for his highest total of the season.

It's to picture this Lakers team hovering around .500 when you look at their talent, but here they are. As expected, Lebron James had another great effort against the Bulls, leading the Lakers with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists for a near triple-double. Anthony Davis added 19 points, but had he not rolled his ankle to become hobbled, you have to wonder if things would've turned out differently.

Tauren Prince (16 points) and Cam Reddish (13 points) added nice outputs from the starting lineup, but the Austin Reaves show off the bench again has fans from both sides excited. Reaves has become a fan favorite the past two seasons, similar to what Caruso had going for him, and if the Bulls do trade Lavine to the Lakers, you can bet Reaves will be asked for.

His ability to put the ball on the floor and pull up from distance makes him a matchup nightmare, and his 21 points off the bench had the Bulls searching for answers. Fortunately for Chicago, he was the only one with more than five points on the bench, and the Bulls used that to their advantage to pick up another win. Chicago will look to make it four straight on Thursday when they welcome the San Antonio Spurs to town for the second leg of a back-to-back.

GRAND RAPIDS ROLLS PAST WINDY CITY

ORLANDO - The Chicago Bulls weren't the only team in action Wednesday night as their G-League team, Windy City, was also on the court Wednesday afternoon. After failing to qualify for the Winter Showcase, which is also taking place in Orlando, the Windy City Bulls were awarded two additional games to close out the first half of their G-League season.

The first of those two matchups came against the Denver Nuggets G-League club, the Grand Rapids Gold. Grand Rapids is one of those teams that has had the Bulls' number over the years, as the Bulls have had a hard time beating them. Judging by the first half, where Grand Rapids opened up a massive 62-40 lead, it was looking like one of those days for the Bulls as they searched for answers. Even with improved play across the second half, it was far from enough as the Gold made quick work of the Bulls 103-87.

For the most part, the Bulls have gotten consistent scoring from many of their players, but this wasn't one of those games with Chris Clemons leading the way with 21 points. He was one of four players in double figurers, but the only with more than 12 points as Adama Sanogo (10 points), Justin Lewis (10 points) and Quenton Jackson (12 points off the bench) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Bulls. Sanogo also continued his domination on the boards as he pulled down 10 boards for another double-double.

Beating the Gold with their normal roster is hard enough, but when you add two players on two-way contracts plus additional help heading into this game, the Bulls were already at a disadvantage before things started. Former Clemson start Hunter Tyson had the biggest game of them all, as he led all scorers with 23 points and added eight rebounds.

Tyson wasn't alone in having a big game as Andrew Funk added 22 points, with Braxton Key and James Huff putting in 30 more combined points. Key had 16 to Huff's 14. Those four alone were too much for the Bulls to handle, as they will look to regroup before taking on the Stockton Kings on Friday.