The Chicago Bulls are coming off their first win in the Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic era after defeating the short-handed Brooklyn Nets on Easter Sunday, 115 – 107.
it’s a step in the right direction and something the Bulls will look to keep rolling into a Tuesday night showdown with the Pacers. The Bulls are against the Pacers this season and just so happen to be next to each other in the eastern conference playoff race. The Bulls hold the 10th spot in the east, currently two games behind the Pacers.
There’s valuable ground to be made up. There’s also valuable ground to maintain on the 11th seeded Toronto Raptors who trail Chicago by just one game entering tonight.
Chicago is set to be without Daniel Theis, who is managing a personal issue as the season plays out. After being dealt at the deadline, it’s important to give Theis what is needed as he works through things. We respect his privacy and assume moving mid-season, in addition to the current circumstances, has made the situation even harder than it already was.
Also missing in this one will be Garrett Temple. Temple is a valued veteran that will be missed anytime he can’t take the court but still brings value to the team even if he’s in street clothes.
Chicago Bulls player to watch: Lauri Markkanen
With the absence of big man Daniel Theis, Lauri Markkanen finds himself with yet another opportunity to show the BUlls what he is capable of besides being a knockdown perimeter shooter.
I’m not saying he will show it but the opportunity certainly will exist. Markkanen is coming off one of the few disappointing performances in the victory against the Nets, a game he finished with just eight points to go along with five rebounds.
The absence of Theis means head coach Billy Donovan may have to get creative with his lineups. If Markkanen plays minutes next to Thaddeus Young in the frontcourt we really need to see him assert himself on the glass. Not an easy task for the fourth-year forward so far this season.
While Theis hasn’t necessarily inserted himself into a glass cleaning role with the Bulls so far, he definitely is bringing a physical style of play that will be lacking against the Pacers tonight. Where will that play come from? It’s tough to predict that answer. We know what Christian Felicio is, or more accurately what he is not.
I’m not asking for Markkanen to match the energy Theis brings to the floor night in and night out. While that would be a great sight to see it just isn’t realistic. Markkanen can, however, bring every to the team off the bench and make it a point of emphasis to hit the glass hard. The Pacers have a big man in Damontas Sabonis who does work on the glass and another who doesn’t in Myles Turner.
It would be a win to see Markkanen finally pick up that second double-double of the season in this one and would go a long way in helping the Bulls get a very important win tonight.
Chicago Bulls player to watch: Tomas Satoransky
Sato is coming off of his best performance of the season against the Nets. He finished that one with 19 points on 8-10 shooting from the field. Add in 11 assists and just two turnovers and you see exactly why he is in the starting five over youngster Coby White.
Asking more a repeat performance of this is unfair to Sato. It also isn’t necessary for the Bulls to win the game. He does so many of the little things that often don’t show up in the box score and that is what can be appreciated by keeping a closer eye on him in this one.
One of the many things he does well is getting the team set up offensively. That’s become an even more significant job since the trade deadline addition of Nikola Vucevic. While Zach LaVine can create his offense in a matter of seconds and save the team from broken possessions, Vucevic is best used by getting the ball in his hands and in his spots early in the shot clock.
That means the point guard has a more important job than he had one month ago for this Bulls team. By getting Vuc the ball early and in the right spots you allow him to use his vision taking advantage of any double teams or back door cuts from his teammates. That makes Sato’s job all the more important each and every night moving forward.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way. It would be incredible to see another shooting game from Sato as we got against the Nets. It’s more shots than we will likely see though, and against a better defensive scheme than Brooklyn had his assist numbers will likely dip as well.
That makes his ability to get the ball to his teammates that much more important. Assists show up in the box score, but every possession that he starts out right that ends in a bucket isn’t always easy to notice. Keep an eye on the point guard and see how he does getting the team’s offense set and running early in the shot clock. It will be a crucial job not only tonight but in every Bulls game moving forward.
Chicago Bulls player to watch: Zach LaVine
All-Star guard Zach LaVine showed how he earned that honor this season against the Nets. He went for 25 points while adding in three rebounds and five assists. Against the Pacers the Bulls need their stud guard to show up once again if they want to pick up the all-important win.
In two games against the Pacers this season LaVine is averaging a team-high 23.5 points behind 46.7 percent shooting from behind the arc. He led the team in scoring against the Nets and will be crucial in making it two straight wins tonight.
The Pacers have a duo of bigs that will be keeping the likes of Thaddeus Young and Vucevic busy on the defensive end. While they’ll still be asked to contribute offensively, the more LaVine is able to lead the charge the better chance the Bulls will put themselves in a position to pick up a win.
Indiana also features strong guards and wings offensively, but the team’s offense will have to come from somewhere and LaVine will have help in defending players like Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert in rookie teammate Patrick Williams. He’ll still be asked to hold his own on the defensive end which is what makes him a player to watch tonight.
Not only do the Bulls need LaVine to show up big time offensively, but they also need him to hold his own defensively.