For the first time in what felt like forever, first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls avoided a big second-half collapse and sealed a win with a complete effort on both ends of the floor. A 14-point Bulls win over a hapless Detroit Pistons team on March 21 was a good way to build back up some confidence for this Bulls team, but it was one that was supposed to be a comfortable triumph.
Donovan and the Bulls were able to hang on down the stretch against the Central Division foe Pistons on the road in the Motor City over the weekend to win by the final score of 100-86. This was also one of the more impressive defensive performances in recent memory for the Bulls.
It was a solid effort from this Bulls team as a whole on the defensive end of the floor combined with good outings individually from fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen and star shooting guard Zach LaVine that got the win here. Markkanen and LaVine shined in unison against the Pistons, showing why this duo has so much potential.
The Bulls finally started to turn the corner in terms of success in the win column with Markkanen on the floor in this game. He registered 16 points, eight rebounds, no assists, no steals, and one block. And Markkanen shot 6-of-15 from the field, 3-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line.
This wasn’t the most efficient shooting night from Markkanen, but he was timely with his production and greatly minimized mistakes (no turnovers on the night).
Meanwhile, LaVine gave the Bulls a team-high 18 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block. And just like Markkanen, LaVine didn’t have his best shooting night, but his production was timely especially down the stretch. He shot 6-of-16 from the field, 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
Lauri and LaVine leading by example for the Chicago Bulls
This win over the Pistons was a good example of what happens when the Bulls get a complete team effort on both ends of the floor and they are able to minimize mistakes down the stretch. The Bulls also greatly outrebounded the Pistons in this game, winning the battle on the boards by a margin of 52-37.
Second-year center Daniel Gafford came up big off the bench, with a team-high 11 rebounds, eight points, and two blocks, in just 14 minutes played.
Rookie forward Patrick Williams also did well in the shadow of Markkanen and LaVine. He was a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field, good for 10 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.
It is truly amazing what efficient shooting and good defense can do for you. Simple and efficient basketball won the day for the Bulls, who shot around 46 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and 86 percent from the charity stripe. They held the Pistons to shooting under 40 percent from the field and just 16 percent from beyond the arc.
After the win over the Pistons, the Bulls record improves to 19-22 on the season. They also snap their losing streak and their trend of collapsing in the second half, which had resulted in bad losses last week to the likes of the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. Next up for Markkanen, LaVine, and the Bulls is a meeting with the Utah Jazz in the back end of back-to-back games at home at the United Center on March 22.