Three takeaways from the Chicago Bulls win against the Mavs

In an epic tanking battle, the Chicago Bulls came away with the win, but Dallas came away with the win for the future. Here are my three takeaways from the game.

1. The Chicago Bulls showed good poise after a rough start.

After the Mavs got off to a 10-0 start, it looked like this might be one the Bulls would soon want to forget. But just like they have many times this season, they bounced back after an extremely rough start. After surrendering the 10-0 start, they finished the first half 47-39, making them trail by only 2 at the break.

That’s an impressive turnaround for a young team that could have easily thrown in the towel.

In my opinion, that speaks a lot to the team as well as the coach. For Coach Hoiberg to keep them on track and have them turn the game around despite the 10-0 deficit to start, is an impressive thing. But more importantly, it shows the young guys have no quit in them – something that is nice to establish in the culture so that when it’s time to actually win games and make a playoff push, it’s ingrained in the team.

So despite the bad win for the tank, I believe this was actually a quality team win (even though the Mavs are a sorry excuse for an NBA team right now).

2. The Bulls young core played great.

One of the biggest things to be looking for in the final stretch of the season is how well the young core of Markkanen, LaVine, and Dunn play together. And last night, they all played well.

Even though all three players were under the 20 point mark, they combined for 51 points as a group.

Lauri Markkanen finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds – a solid outing from the Finnish big man. Kris Dunn finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists – an excellent all-around game from the young point guard. And despite a rough shooting night, Zach LaVine still managed to put together a fine game, finishing with 16 points and 6 assists.

Not only that, but all three of those guys finished with a positive plus/minus.

Not too shabby.

3. Bobby Portis continues to make a serious case for being included in the group labeled the “young core.”

Just like his Twitter handle suggests (@BPortistime), it was indeed Bobby Portis time.

Portis ended the game with the highest plus/minus in the game (+21) and it wasn’t even close. He was clearly the best player on the court for the Chicago Bulls – especially when it mattered most.

He provided that much-needed spark off the bench when the Bulls needed buckets at the end of the game. Check out these three consecutive buckets for Portis near the end of the game.

Bobby Portis finished the game with 22 points and 5 rebounds on 9-16 shooting from the field.

Next: What does the future hold for Fred Hoiberg?

Portis is showing the Bulls front office that he belongs on this team long term – and I can’t say I disagree. He provides hustle, energy, and most importantly – buckets. With the noticeable improvement in his jump shot, it makes it easier to picture him as a part of the future Chicago Bulls roster. Keep ballin’, Bobby.