Chicago Bulls: Player grades from the road win in Orlando
By Luke Askew
The Chicago Bulls opened their post-All-Star break action with a win in Orlando against the Magic. Here are player grades from the big road win.
The Chicago Bulls traveled to Orlando to face the surging Magic in their first game post-All-Star break. In the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Magic are currently on the outside looking in – but it’s close. The final three playoff spots in the East are wide open and the Magic are trying to steal one of those spots.
Despite the Magic needing a win way more than the Bulls, this game had a nice back-and-forth feeling to it all night. It was closely contested from start to finish and both teams played hard throughout.
Sophomore forward Lauri Markkanen would end up giving the Bulls their second win in a row as he knocked down the game-winning free throws with less than two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Let’s grade some of the notable Bulls from tonight’s win.
Chicago Bulls. OTTO PORTER JR.. B+. Otto Porter Jr. was one of the hottest players in the league going into the All-Star break. He returned to Earth tonight but still had a solid game. Otto finished with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from deep to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Porter also finished the game with a team-high plus/minus of +10.. Forward
A+. Robin Lopez was the best version of himself tonight. He was unselfish, he finished around the rim and he set solid screens. RoLo finished the game with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. It’s a shame Lopez can’t put his talents to good use and help a playoff team make a push.. Center. Chicago Bulls. ROBIN LOPEZ
C-. Kris Dunn’s recent struggles would only continue tonight against the Magic. He often made the wrong decision with the ball in his hands, he struggled to knock down shots and he simply looked uncomfortable on offense. Dunn finished the game with eight points, three rebounds and two assists. It was a tough night for the Bulls’ point guard.. Guard. Chicago Bulls. KRIS DUNN
ZACH LAVINE. B-. This grade might seem counterintuitive. Zach LaVine finished the game with 22 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point land to go along with six assists. On the surface, that seems like a pretty good night – and it was. There’s no shame in earning a B- grade. But despite shooting the ball well from deep, he struggled to get anything else going. He shot 1-of-8 on two-point attempts, his shot selection wasn’t great and he wasn’t as aggressive going to the basket as he should’ve been.. Guard. Chicago Bulls
A-. Lauri Markkanen didn’t have his most efficient night ever (8-of-21 shooting from the field), but he was aggressive and effective. He finished the game with 25 points, 11 rebounds and only one turnover. Markkanen also knocked down two clutch free throws with 1.5 seconds left to give the Bulls the win. Solid game for the Finnisher.. Forward. Chicago Bulls. LAURI MARKKANEN
Next up for the Bulls, the Boston Celtics will come to town. Uh-oh.