At the 5:52 mark of the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bulls were down 100-95. Less than a minute passed between this team and its fourth straight deciding game. I have to imagine Tyronn Lue was sweating.
If we’ve learned anything in recent weeks, it’s that the moment you cross that clutch threshold with the Bulls, the game might as well be over. Chicago has the power of the clutch gods coursing through its veins. And I was totally ready for them to channel that power again.
However, to the Clippers’ credit, they realized what was at stake. James Harden quickly got to the free throw line before Paul George made the layup. Both baskets also benefited from offensive rebounds. The Clippers outscored the Bulls in the fourth quarter, sending them back to Chicago without a clean road trip.
First of all, the Bulls deserve a lot of credit for the way they’ve played over the past two weeks. I expected the wheels to fall off after an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Pistons – the Bulls’ second of the season. Add in the ongoing injury issues, and it felt like a six-game stretch against the Cavaliers, Bucks, Kings, Jazz, Warriors and Clippers was going to be a death sentence. Instead, the Bulls went 4-2 (and all four of those wins came in the clutch). Even more impressive, this winning streak was the result of a complete team effort. Sure, DeMar DeRozan stole the show frequently in the fourth quarter, but we saw Coby White drop 37 against the Kings, Nikola Vucvic score 33 against the Warriors and Ayo Dosunmu drain four 3s against the Cavs. Alex Caruso also combined for 8 steals and 3 blocks against the Kings and Jazz. Hell, even guys like Jevon Carter (10 PTS vs. GSW) and Onuralp Bitim (10 PTS vs. CLE) had fun!
So, has any of this changed their playoff fortunes? Um, not particularly. While this reassures me at least a little about their chances of getting out of the Play-In tournament, they are still stuck in 9th place. Their only glimmer of hope of moving up the ladder could be a steep decline from the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton’s team has lost three of its last four games and is now 8th in the East. They also lost second-year scorer Bennedict Mathurin for the remainder of the season due to a torn labrum on Saturday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Pacers are a relatively deep team, but Mathurin was still a key rotation player, averaging 14.6 points per game.
Zach LaVine – who has been away from the Chicago Bulls as he recovers from his season-ending injury – spoke with reporters on Saturday. He and Lonzo Ball were on hand for the Bulls’ battle against the Los Angeles Clippers, and LaVine seemed in good spirits. He also provided more information about the foot injury that led him to opt for surgery. Well, that looked painful!
“It sucked dude. I was trying to find every way not to – you never want to have surgery. But I came to a conclusion, especially with what the doctor was telling me, “your pain level, and this thing is not going to heal on its own,” LaVine said during the media scrum (video via Darnell Mayberry). “It was a floating bone. This is called a non-union Jones fracture, which I had been suffering from for a while. I was happy to find him, and he told me that you should do it as soon as possible.
I understand all the fans’ frustration with the Zach LaVine situation. But, as we pointed out at the time, no one chooses to go under the knife to avoid a trade or screw up an organization. LaVine was following the advice of his medical team, and I have to imagine the Bulls ultimately accepted that advice. Not to mention it might help explain some of LaVine’s poor play to start the year. Ultimately, even if this triggered a LaVine trade later, it’s probably best for all parties to have him fully healthy before moving forward.
LaVine also took the time to campaign for Coby White. He made a strong case for the guard to take home the Most Improved Player Award. Again, say what you want about LaVine, but he still comes across as a very good teammate. Aside from his one mistake earlier this year when he decided to avoid a post-game interview, he has always avoided shaking things up and been supportive of the guys in his locker room.
Zach LaVine praised his longtime teammate Coby White today.
And he added to the Most Improved Player campaign: “Coby probably has the most points per skipped game. Field goal percentage, 3-point totals, assists, rebounds – you name it, it’s all in place. pic.twitter.com/6MCEyi8XlO– Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) March 10, 2024
Speaking of LaVine, happy 29th birthday!
As previously reported, Lonzo Ball was also in attendance for yesterday’s game. Although he did not speak to reporters, head coach Billy Donovan provided a surprisingly positive update on the leader.
His first three of the season are a game-winning buzzer-beater. Mad.
