On the night of April 17, the Chicago Bulls finally snapped a losing skid that went on for way too long. The Bulls and first-year head coach Billy Donovan topped the divisional foe Cleveland Cavaliers by the final score of 106-96 at home at the United Center. That win over the Cavaliers this weekend snapped a five-game losing streak dating back to the beginning of the month.
Since Donovan and the Bulls were quickly fading out of the playoff and play-in tournament pictures in the Eastern Conference at this point of the regular season, they needed to turn their fortunes around fast. The Bulls were down to just three-point favorites ahead of tip-off at home against the Cavaliers on April 17.
It was a big win for the Bulls that keeps them nearly level with the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards in the play-in tournament picture. And string a few more wins together, and the Bulls could be in a position to keep pace with the likes of the Indiana Pacers for the eighth seed in the East.
Moreover, the Bulls moved their record on the season to 23-33 on the season with their win over the Cavaliers, and 11-18 at home at United Center. The Bulls got a couple of big efforts from second-year point guard Coby White in their last two games that helped reverse their fortunes.
Coby White coming to the forefront for the Chicago Bulls
Since combo guard Tomas Satoransky missed the Bulls’ meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies on April 16, White got tossed into the starting five for the first time in a few weeks. And he shined in the spotlight in a tough double-digit loss for the Bulls to the Grizzlies heading into the weekend.
White wasn’t as efficient shooting from the field in the win over the Cavaliers as he was in the loss to the Grizzlies, but he definitely contributed in other facets of the game. He registered just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
To go along with his eight points in this game, White registered nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and four turnovers.
White contributed more on the offensive end of the floor in terms of facilitating the offense in the win over the Cavs than Sato did in his last few games prior to missing the meeting with the Grizzlies. Is that a sign that White should move back into the starting five at this point?
It might be a bit of an overreaction to say that Sato should be moved to the bench, but it is a consideration for this coaching staff moving forward. Sato wasn’t playing all that well for the Bulls in the last two weeks, contributing to the losing skid. And White has done well as an offensive spark plug in the last two games since moving into the starting five.
Maybe give White more minutes off the bench with the top unit to see what type of production he can give the Bulls moving forward, but keep Sato in the starting five. Sato was playing well for the first week or so after getting moved into the starting five, and he has a good connection with the star duo of shooting guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic.
White could still have a bright future ahead with the Bulls, and it’s good to see him playing better down the stretch. The fit between he and Donovan didn’t look too great post-All-Star Break until he got moved back into the starting five.
White and the Bulls have a full day’s rest before they hit the hardwood for game action again. They are set to meet up with the Boston Celtics on the road on April 19, looking to extend their winning streak to two games.