Here's the most recent Chicago Bulls news after an easy win over the Brooklyn Nets, including a Coby White injury update, how Lonzo Ball is leading the team to wins and another breakout Matas Buzelis game.
Coby White misses Brooklyn Blowout
Chicago outscored the Nets by 14 points in the third quarter and cruised to a 128-102 home win.
Brooklyn was severely shorthanded as it played without Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Thomas, among others, but the hosts weren't at full strength either.
Coby White was absent after hurting his left ankle in the first half of the Bulls' loss to the Boston Celtics Friday.
It doesn't seem like the 24-year-old will be out for long, though.
White was listed as day-to-day on the injury report before being ruled out of last night's win.
The Bulls hit the road to face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Thursday, Dec. 5. Barring some unforeseen setback, there's a decent chance White returns to the lineup against San Antonio.
Lonzo Ball's impact on the Bulls
Lonzo Ball has appeared in six games for Chicago this season. He's averaging 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 16.2 minutes.
But he's also grabbing 1.2 steals per night, has only turned the ball over four times this entire season and leads the Bulls in plus/minus at +3.7.
He contributes to winning in ways that don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet. Throw-ahead passes. Deflections. Help defense. Communication. Basically, everything that could fall under the umbrella of "basketball IQ."
“He’s so smart and knows how to play the game that I think he feels whether it’s 16 or 20 or 22 minutes, he can be a productive player,” Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan said, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
That's borne out through Ball's six contests; his intelligence is making him productive despite a surgically rebuilt knee and more than two years' worth of rust.
Matas Buzelis has another career game
Matas Buzelis played the best game of his NBA career to that point in a Nov. 23 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Bulls rookie scored 14 points in nearly 30 minutes of action, going 6-for-13 from the field and 2-of-5 from three.
He bested that in last night's win over the Nets.
The 20-year-old scored 20 points in less than 22 minutes. He was 7-of-10 from the field and knocked down four of his five 3-pointers. He threw down dunks in transition and showed patience under the rim with a series of fakes before rising for another slam.
He added five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
In his last six games, Buzelis is averaging 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and only 1.0 turnovers in 19.8 minutes.
His biggest weakness last season with the G League Ignite was a terrible lack of efficiency; during this six-game stretch, he's shooting 49 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.
When Donovan gives his prized rookie minutes, the 6-foot-10 wing is rewarding him and showing rapid growth.