Chicago Bulls: 2 studs, 1 dud, from closer than expected win over Magic

It was much closer than most likely anticipated, but the Chicago Bulls got it done upon the return of second-year head coach Billy Donovan to the bench out of the league’s health and safety protocol on the night of Jan. 3. Donovan and the Bulls took down an otherwise struggling Orlando Magic team under head coach Jamahl Mosley that put up a bigger fight than expected.

This is a Magic team that is missing a lot of key players. But they’ve shown a lot of fight during their now six-game losing streak. and that was on full display in this Jan. 3 meeting with the Bulls at the United Center in Chicago.

A big night from Coby White off the bench helps the Chicago Bulls stave off an upset bid from the Magic on Jan. 3

On this night, the Bulls were looking to extend their season-best winning streak to eight games. In their last game, the Bulls took down the Washington Wizards on a game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer from star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan. That was the second game in a set of back-to-backs that DeRozan hit a game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer for the Bulls.

The first came in a win on the road over the division foe Indiana Pacers on Dec. 31.

It was another closeout win for the Bulls late in the fourth quarter thanks to the efforts of star shooting guard Zach LaVine and DeRozan. While there were some struggles in this game from the charity stripe for DeRozan, he was still able to help the Bulls seal up the win by the final score of 102-98.

Here’s a look into two studs and one dud from the Bulls’ close four-point win over the Magic on Jan. 3.