Bulls get back on track with win against Magic |
ORLANDO - Do you believe in Magic? Or at least having the Orlando Magic (19-31) being the remedy the Chicago Bulls (23-26) needed to get back on track. After going through a long week where they let several games get away, the Bulls were hoping to close out their week on a positive against an Orlando team that ranks near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Like most of their games this week, the Bulls came out on fire in the first half to score 60 points and once again built a double-digit halftime lead as they led by 13 at the break. The second half, especially the third quarter, has been an issue for the Bulls all week, and that was the case yet again in this one. Chicago's defense struggled to make plays in that third quarter as they allowed the Orlando offense to put up 34 points on them. That can't happen if you are going to win games consistently, but in this game, their offense managed to withstand that rough third period as they outscored them by one point. In total, the Bulls won all four quarters, which is something you haven't been able to say too much about this season and that alone was enough to give them a much-needed 128-109 win. Anytime you have three players score at least 25 points, you will be tough to beat, and the Bulls big three certainly showed up in this one. Not only that, but all three of them shot better than 60% in the game, as they were feeling it all four quarters. Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan paced the Bulls offense with 32 points. DeRozan did it on 11-14, with LaVine coming through on 11-18. This was one of those rare instances where both guys were on top of their game, and you can see how good the offense is when that happens. Another player that continues to step up is Nikola Vucevic, who has been playing like an all-start the last month. When the offense goes through him, it helps create open shots for the rest of the team, and with 26 points and 13 boards, Vucevic put on a clinic against his former team and continued to put up great numbers. Those three will dictate the success of this Bulls roster, but it takes more than just three stars to make a good team. That is where Patrick Williams is starting to come in as he continues to play the best basketball of his career. Not only does he continue to shoot the ball well with 16 points, but with six rebounds, two assists, and a steal, he is starting to show his full arsenal on the floor. He will be crucial to the Bulls' success the rest of the way as they continue to battle it out for one of the final postseason spots. When it comes to Orlando, they continue to be stuck in a rebuilding phase, but that could be coming to an end soon. With a roster filled with young and talented players, this is a team to watch in the coming years, as they will soon be a force to reckon with. Having two players come off the bench and combine for 28 points shows how deep this team can be, as they have the players make some noise. With Chicago doing a phenomenal job holding their starters well under their season average, it was up to the Magic's bench to keep them alive, and they were great at doing that. Moritz Wagner came through with a team-high 27 points in 23 minutes while knocking down 8-11 shots. You also had rising star Cole Anthony add 21 points in 30 minutes off the bench as he also added six assists to his line. Those were not only the only players to crack the 20-point threshold but the only ones with more than 13 points, as consistent offensive output was an issue. Looking at the rest of the team, former Chicago Bull Wendell Carter Jr led the Magic starting lineup with 11 points and continued to show up against his former team. You also had 11 points from second-year man Jalen Suggs off the bench, as those were the last of the double-digit scorers in the game. The biggest takeaway from this game is how the Bulls defended the No. 1 overall pick, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Not only did they combine for just 16 points, with Banchero picking up nine and Wagner seven, but Chicago held them to just 6-22 shooting as they could not get anything going on the offensive end.
