In a rocky up and down season, I didn’t think there was any hope left for this Chicago Bulls team after a demoralizing loss to the Pistons last week. If there was any chance of still salvaging this season, they’d need to find their ground and stabilize their position in the standings by defeating a few quality teams. The Bulls got started off on the right foot by defeating the Cavaliers, but could have really used another win against the 34-25 Kings last night.
Depleted by injuries to several starters and core members of this roster — including Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Torrey Craig, and Lonzo Ball — this wouldn’t be easy. Fortunately, Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, and Ayo Dosunmu stepped up to compile one of the best well-rounded team performances we’ve seen from these Bulls yet.
DeRozan dropped 33 points on the Kings while shooting a ridiculous 10-for-12 from the field. It was impossible for Sacramento to keep him off the scoreboard, as he also converted on 11 of 12 free throw attempts. Meanwhile. Ayo Dosunmu’s hot streak continued through last night as he tallied 20 points and 5 assists while also shooting an efficient 60% from the field.
Despite how well DeMar and Ayo played, it was Coby White who was the real star of the show. White led the Bulls with what would become a career-high 37 points, while also contributing 7 assists and 5 rebounds. He scored 14 times on just 19 attempts, keeping the Bulls in this game just long enough for them to pull the much-needed 113-109 upset.
Down 21 points withAfter holding Sacramento scoreless for the next four and a half minutes, however, the Bulls were able to trim the deficit do three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the game admittedly looked like it was a lost cause for Chicago. wn to just 11 points with 10:53 remaining on the clock.
That’s when DeMar DeRozan decided to take over and do DeMar DeRozan things. He’d shoot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and rack up 20 points in the fourth quarter alone — that’s more than the Kings’ entire team scored in the final period. He was everything the Bulls needed him to be in order to close the gap, but with the game on the line, he was still wise enough to be an unselfish team player.
Much fuss has been made about the Bulls’ late-game decision making. All too often, Chicago’s gameplan seems to be centered around giving DeRozan the ball and letting him cook in an isolation possession. As good as Coby has been, he’s seemed unwilling to be the guy willing to take the final shot in clutch situations. That wasn’t the case last night, however, as White scored the Bulls’ final three baskets and ultimately scored the winning points to seal the comeback victory.
