Thanks to quality team play and a lot of luck, the Chicago Bulls managed to squeak out a win against the San Antonio Spurs. Here are three things I loved from the win.
The Chicago Bulls were one made free throw from DeMar DeRozan away from being forced into an overtime period against the San Antonio Spurs. DeRozan went to the line with 0.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Spurs down 108-110. He made the first, and then missed the second. DeRozan, an 84.5 percent free-throw shooter, doesn’t miss many, so to say the Bulls got lucky is an understatement.
What’s that age-old verbiage, though? A win is a win?
Here are three things I loved from the Bulls’ win over the Spurs.
1. The Kobe Bryant tribute
Only one thing from the Bulls-Spurs game truly mattered, and it happened within the first minute of the game.
For Kobe ❤️ pic.twitter.com/IkBUXToavD
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 28, 2020
Like many other teams, the Bulls and Spurs honored the late, great Kobe Bryant by taking an 8-second violation and then a 24-second violation to start the game.
The Bulls won the tip, so Tomas Satoransky was the one who took the 8-second violation. Then, it was DeMar DeRozan who took the 24-second violation for San Antonio. Like all other Kobe tributes, it was beautiful.
2. Denzel Valentine staying ready
For some reason, Denzel Valentine hasn’t been able to find consistent playing time on this Bulls team. To his credit, though, he’s stayed ready and has played well when called upon.
Against the Spurs, Valentine was one of the main reasons the Bulls were able to leave the United Center with a win.
Valentine came off the bench chucking, scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range to go along with four rebounds and three assists. He was a +19 in 19 minutes of action.
Well done, Denzel.
3. Kris Dunn stepping up
With injuries to Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., the Bulls need multiple guys to step up and help Zach LaVine shoulder the load offensively. Against San Antonio, Kris Dunn was ready for the challenge.
Dunn scored 10 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with eight assists and six rebounds. He did a nice job of attacking the rim and making good decisions. His increased role on offense didn’t make him less effective on defense, though. He still recorded three steals and played lockdown, scrappy defense for the whole game.
The Bulls need more of that from Dunn in the immediate future.
Chicago will look to win their third game in a row when they head to Indiana on Wednesday.