Chicago scores often and early against Detroit
The Bulls’ offense thrashed the Pistons from the jump, taking the lead on the first possession and never giving it up. They scored 35 points in the first quarter on 81 percent shooting. Many of their shots were contested, but falling, giving worry that their production would regress to the mean eventually.
It didn’t.
Chicago’s efficiency dropped in the second period, but they still put another 34 points on the board, giving them plenty margin of error for the third and fourth.
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The scoring wealth was distributed well across the Bulls’ rotation. They were making the extra pass, finding open shots and hitting them. Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez combined for 30 points, shooting 100 percent and 70 percent respectively. Lopez’s post-game seemed too much to handle for Pistons’ center Drummond, as his hooks eluded Drummond for most of the night.
The Bulls’ 49 made field goals on 34 assists was reminiscent of their first few games of the season. Rondo contributed 14 on his own, playing one of his better games of the season. Time and time again, Chicago managed to make one more pass to find an even better shot than the one they had before. Take this play, where Denzel Valentine finds Cristiano Felicio in the middle, who kicks it to the opposite corner for a Nikola Mirotic 3-pointer.
— Daniel Coughlin (@xvanwilderx) December 20, 2016
It helps that shooters were making their shots. Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott in particular provided the shooting the Bulls have been expecting from them.