In the back end of back-to-back games, first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls will attempt to bounce back from a tough Feb. 19 road loss to head coach Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers. Donovan and the Bulls fell short to the Sixers on the road at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 19 by the final score of 112-105.
It was a career-night from the Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid that pushed his team to nab this seven-point victory entering the weekend. But the Bulls will get an opponent that should be easier on Feb. 20 than they had the prior night. The Sixers still currently sit as the team with the top record in the Eastern Conference standings.
Moreover, the Bulls are set to take on the Sacramento Kings and star point guard De’Aaron Fox at home at the United Center on Feb. 20. To compete with the 12-16 Kings at home in the back end of these back-to-back games, the Bulls will need their backcourt rotation to bounce back in a big way after the way they showed out in the loss to the Sixers on the previous night.
How Chicago Bulls can bounce back vs. Kings
Star shooting guard Zach LaVine did give the Bulls a team-high 30 points, along with five rebounds and five assists in the loss to the Sixers. But he shot a rather inefficient 9-of-28 from the field and 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Bulls will really need two of the more important pieces of their young core to come through in a big way if they are to top the Kings on Feb. 20. Second-year point guard Coby White and rookie forward Patrick Williams didn’t have their best showings in the loss to the Sixers.
Coby has started in all 28 games he’s played in for the Bulls so far this season. And he’s averaged 15.2 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks. Coby shot 40.2 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line.
A roller coaster ride of a season so far for White can improve against the Kings this weekend.
Meanwhile, Williams has played better of late, but didn’t show out in his best self against the Sixers. He’s started in all 27 games he’s played in for the Bulls so far this season. And he’s averaged 9.9 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks. Williams shot 45.4 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.3 percent from the free-throw line.
It’s clear what the Bulls need to do to down the Kings on Feb. 20. To keep heading in the right direction in the standings in the East, the Bulls must contain the offensive explosiveness of their backcourt rotation, including the likes of sharpshooting guard Buddy Hield and Fox.
The Bulls now sport a record of 12-16, following their loss to the Sixers on Feb. 19. Meanwhile, the Kings are coming off a loss to the Miami Heat by an eight-point margin. The Kings have now lost five in a row heading into this meeting with the Bulls at the United Center.