Bulls roll past Wizards in group play |
WASHINGTON, DC—While most of the country was fixated on the Duke vs. Kansas matchup, and what a finish that was, there were still plenty of other NBA games going on, and some had some actual meaning. That included the Chicago Bulls (8-11), who hit the road to take on the struggling Washington Wizards (2-14) in group play action.
Say what you will about the in-season Tournament and all that comes with it, but this is actually good for the game and for the quality of play, as teams treat it like it means something. You can see it in the Bulls, as a win against the Wizards would set them up for a win-or-go-home game against the Boston Celtics later in the week, as this was a win-and-advance mindset. If that was their mindset going in, it wasn't a good one as the Wizards came out strong and punched the Bulls right in the teeth as Chicago found themselves down early, 29-21 after one. Playing from behind hasn't been an issue for this team all season, and against a team that they are better than, it wasn't an issue as the Bulls used a massive 40-point second quarter to take the lead and outscored the Wizards 40-18 in the second to open up a 61-47 lead at the break. Nikola Vucevic played a massive part in that second quarter. He finished the first half with 11 of his 19 points while adding 12 rebounds. Things were much more balanced in the second half, but once again, it was the Bulls offense scoring nearly 70 points in the second half to surge past the Wizards 127-108 and improve to 2-1 in the Group Play of the In Season tournament. While Vooch had the hot hand in the first half, it was Coby White who had the hot hand in the second, in particular the third quarter, as the guard came out firing from distance while also making several plays in the paint. White would lead the Bulls with 21 points in the game, picking up eight rebounds, as all five of the Bulls starters finished in double figures. That included a relatively quiet 18-point night from Zach Lavine, but any time you get the production you received from your starting five in this one, Lavine can have these backseat types of games. Despite Ayo Dosunmu (12 points) and Josh Giddey (11 points) struggling to have the same kind of success, it was the little things that stood out in their game as they both did the little things well that often get overlooked. For Dosunmu, it was his continued presence on defense compared to Giddey, who does so much for the offense. The Bulls' starting five weren't the only ones getting in on the scoring fun, as their bench came away with an impressive 46 points. Talen Horton-Tucker led the bench with 13 points, with Jalen Smith chipping in with 12 points and nine boards. Chicago also saw Matas Buzelis continue to play well, scoring nine points, with Julian Phillips adding eight, as those were the main threats for the Bulls. As bad as things have gone for the Wizards this season, they have some talented players on their roster, and that all starts with Kyle Kuzma, who continued to have his way with the Bulls. Kuzma was never known as the guy in Los Angeles, but ever since joining the Wizards, he has been their primary offensive weapon, and with a game-high 23 points, that continued. Alexandre Starr and his 20 points backed Kuzma, as the Wizards had a very nice 1-2 punch. Unlike the Bulls, who had all five of their starters and seven total players land in double figures, the Wizards only had four, and three of them came from the starting five. Former Milwaukee Buck and Indiana Pacer Malcolm Brogdon was the final starter to crack double figures, finishing with 15 as he provided solid minutes. You also had Carlton Carrington come away with 10 points in 25 minutes off the bench, as several players had to make up for the absence of Jordan Poole, which proved too much to overcome. For the fourth and final time this month, Chicago will enjoy a back-to-back as they head to Orlando on Wednesday before closing out the month of November with their final group play game against the Celtics on Friday.
