The Chicago Bulls defeated the Miami Heat 119-111 in the team’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup. It’s time to check out the one thing I liked and one thing I disliked about the game.
The Chicago Bulls claimed their first victory over the Miami Heat this season, ending the Heat’s seven-game winning streak, after losing their first two matchups of the season.
The two teams will face each other for the last time during the 2017-18 campaign on Mar. 29 in Miami.
Fun Fact #1: The Chicago Bulls have made at least 10 3-pointers in 14 of their last 16 games, including a current streak of eight straight games, the longest in franchise history.
Fun fact #2: This is the 18th time in 21 games the Bulls have scored 100 points or more. They scored 100 or more points eight times in their first 23 games.
(Bonus Fun Facts!)
Fun Fact #3: Lauri Markkanen became the quickest player to knockdown 100 3-pointers for his career in NBA history with 41 games played. He dethroned Damian Lillard, 44 games, for the record.
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/953044922550095872
Fun Fact #4: The Chicago Bulls have made 15 3-pointers in three straight games for the first time in franchise history.
Like: Robin Lopez’s screens
This is going to sound like an odd choice on the same night Zach LaVine, the player of the game, had another stellar game in limited minutes.
He tallied 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals while shooting 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
Justin Holiday deserves love for making a career-high seven 3-pointers to go along with 25 points Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic and Denzel Valentine all made significant contributions to the team’s win.
But, on nights when flashy stat lines, plays and highlights (like the one below) gain the most attention, it feels necessary to give Lopez the credit he deserves.
How to end the first half, by @ZachLaVine: pic.twitter.com/kRWqAKvQKo
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 15, 2018
It isn’t even about how Lopez’s overall performance, even though he did put up a respectable 10 points and six rebounds on six shots.
Lopez consistently finds ways to initiate enough contact to create an adequate amount of space for the player he’s screening to be an offensive threat.
There are few better examples of this than when Lopez screened (shielded off) Hassan Whiteside on a Valentine drive to the basket with 6:36 left in the first quarter. A play like this for someone who struggles to create their own shot like Valentine does typically ends in one of three ways.
Valentine would’ve settled for a contested floater, passed out to someone on the perimeter because he didn’t like the shot he was going to take or Whiteside swats his field goal attempt upon the moment it leaves his hand.
But, Lopez has the instincts to set the screen and ensure Valentine has the space to finish at the rim without being heavily contested.
Lopez makes the game easier for his teammates
For a Chicago Bulls team that struggles to get to and convert at the rim, plays like this are vital for easy points.
Lopez made a similar move for Kris Dunn a couple possessions later before setting a side-screen to open up Markkanen for an open pull-up jumper.
These aren’t the kind of plays that show up in the box scores. The impact of a great screen is almost unmeasurable.
But, if a player received an assist for every time their teammate scored off their screen, Lopez would’ve had six assists for 13 points in the first quarter thanks to his screens and would’ve flirted with a triple-double for the game.
If the Chicago Bulls are still serious about shopping Lopez on the trade market, then they should receive a solid package from another team. His willingness to set solid screens, box out even if he isn’t getting the rebound and do the little things to make a team successful is valuable for a young team learning how to play game.
He could bring even more value to a contender looking to knock off the Golden State Warriors.
Dislike: Letting up late
The Chicago Bulls came out of the gates with a purpose.
They played with an energy and a preciseness that was hard for the Heat to match, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.
“They lit us up,” said Heat Head Coach Eric Spoelstra, according to a Jan. 15 ESPN article. “They have been playing well for 20 games. It’s not like they’re sneaking up on us. They’ve been playing good basketball. They play hard. They compete.”
Chicago lit the Heat up to the tune of a 15-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Windy City Franchise didn’t put Miami away early, though, and allowed them to go on a 17-7 run in less than three minutes of game time to bring the deficit down to five points.
The Bulls have become one of the most clutch teams in the NBA over the past month. So, they were able to close out the game thanks to a 3-point dagger by Markkanen and an and-1 with 18 seconds left in the game.
As the Chicago Bulls become a better and more experienced team they’ll need to learn how to not blow big leads, close the game out early and give the starters the rest they need.
It’s a fixture of the best teams in the league, something the Bulls have been for the last 21 games.