Bulls defense sets the tone in win over Magic |
CHICAGO—It's amazing what a little bit of defense can do for a team. After struggling to play defense in each of their first four games, the Chicago Bulls (3-2) got off to a rough start on Wednesday and surrendered 33 first-quarter points against the Orlando Magic (3-2). This was against a team that has not only gotten off to a great start this season but completely dominated the Bulls last season as they swept the season series.
Anytime you're trailing in a game 33-18 after one-quarter of play, it makes for a steep uphill climb, but for that to happen in front of a packed United Center wasn't a good feeling for anyone in the building. That is why there are four quarters in basketball, as the Bulls didn't let a rough first quarter deter them from the task at hand and continued to battle back as they pulled within one point after three. Then came the fourth quarter, during which neither team was crisp offensively, but you could make the case that it was the Bulls' best defensive showing of the season. When they needed a stop, they got one, and when they had to come down with a rebound, they did. Throw in a massive triple from Patrick Williams down the stretch, and the Bulls managed to erase a near 20-point first-half deficit and turn it into a 102-99 win. Not only was this the Bulls' best defensive showing of the season, but it was also their most complete offensive showing, as all five starters landed in double figures, with three of them posting double-doubles. I don't care who you are or how good you are; when you have three starters posting double-doubles, you're doing something right, and the Bulls used that to their advantage to pick up the win. Coby White led the way for Chicago as he finished with a team-high 21 points. Unlike the rest of the starting five, White was a score-first player and was a one-dimensional player in this one. The same can't be said about Josh Giddey, who had his best game as a Bull, finishing with 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. He struggled from the free throw line late in the game, which is a concern, but these are the games they need from him. Speaking of double-doubles, Mr. Double-double himself, Nikola Vucevic, was at it again as he got back to doing what he does best. Not only did he come away with 18 points against his former team, but added 14 rebounds in what was another day at the office for him. Rounding out the starting five were Zach Lavine and Williams, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Williams nearly had a double-double with seven rebounds, but with Lavine picking up 10 boards himself, he made it three players with double-double games. In what has been the case most of the season, the Bulls starting five accounted for nearly 80 percent of the team's points, which isn't a recipe for long-term success. Sure, Ayo Dosunmu had a strong game off the bench with 12 points, but with Jalen Smith and Lonzo Ball out and no one else on the bench scoring more than four points, Chicago is lucky to have come away with this win. When you look at how their series transpired last year and how things started in the first quarter, it looked like another blowout was in the making. Paolo Banchero was a massive reason for the team's success, leading all scorers with 31 points. He started fast to pace the offense early and did his best to drive them back late, but it simply wasn't enough for Orlando. For Orlando to be at its best, it needs Banchero to play at this level, with guys like Franz Wagner continuing to build off his strong showing last season. Credit the Bulls for making things difficult on Wagner, who finished with just seven points on 3-8 shooting. Preventing him from not having his typical game is another reason the Bulls were able to battle back, but several other players picked up the slack to keep the Magic in the game when their offense stalled. Jalen Suggs was one of those guys with 17 points although he did come up short on a game-tying jumper late in the game. Wendell Carter Jr also continued to play well against his former team as he came away with 14 points and seven boards as those were the only players to record double figures for the Magic. Moritz Wagner (8 points), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8 points), and Jonathan Isaac (7 points) rounded out the leading scorers for Orlando as the Bulls remain in second place in the Central Division. While there were many positives to take away from this game, there was also a negative: Ball is once again dealing with an injury and will miss at least two weeks. A silver lining is that it's not the knee but a sprained wrist, as things could've been way worse. Chicago will return on the road Friday when they face the Brooklyn Nets.
