The Bulls moved to 4-6 this season with a tough, moderately painful fight, but ended up encouraging a 117-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Here’s what stood out:
Otto out
Otto Porter Jr. recorded six minutes in the first quarter and none in the second. The Bulls announced during the break that he was out and would not be back with spasms in his back.
It is an unfortunate development for Porter, who excelled first in a stabilizing reserve role, then replacing Lauri Markkanen in the starting lineup. Porter entered the night with an average of 14 points, 6.9 rebounds and 41.7 percent shooting in the 3-point range.
In his place, Adam Mokoka saw some run in the second half. He hit a 3 in seven minutes.
Zach LaVine, in a tear
The night before the Bulls embarked on their current four-game West Coast Swing, Zach LaVine scored 21 points in the first quarter to 38 points, six rebounds and five assists against the Dallas Mavericks.
He almost hit the previous mark tonight. Playing every minute of the first quarter, LaVine scored 19, made all eight attempts of his field goal (two of them 3 points) and made two assists against zero turnovers, knocking the Lakers down in pick-and-roll along the way.
Coby White took the lead in a reserve unit to open the second and quickly fired 10 points in shot 4 to 4 (two 3s, the last a heat check). Although the Lakers deflected a 10-point deficit in the second quarter to a one-point advantage in the interval, LaVine and White had added 33 points and four of the team’s five triples.
LaVine, in particular, faced persistent double teams dealing off-screen for most of the night, and the Bulls did well to exploit them. They finished shooting 50.5 percent off the ground and with 26 assists, regularly finding advantages in pick-and-roll.
LaVine’s 38 points from 22 shots mark his third 30-point start in four games, and his six assists against encouraging zero turnovers amid constant pressure from the ball.
That said, the Bulls star’s night ended sour with two fouls contested – including one that would put the Bulls ahead with less than five seconds to play.
Aggressive Wendell
Two nights after catching 17 rebounds in the loss to the Sacramento Kings, Wendell Carter Jr. found his goalkeeper touch on this one.
He started the night with two confident medium-range splashes, initiating a tendency to be an effective medium-range threat all night. That jam at the start of the third quarter, which triggered a 7-0 run at halftime, was eye-popping.
He kept up the pressure with strong and strong plays throughout the night, finishing with 23 points from 9 out of 15 on the field and 4 out of 5 from the line.
Even without Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ attacking court is as physical as it looks. In response to the confrontation, Carter seemed just as offensive as he was this season.
Another great defensive mission for Patrick Williams
Just a week after eagerly accepting defensive duties at Giannis Antetokounmpo, Patrick Williams spent a lot of time facing LeBron James in this one.
The tower was taken to school a little earlier. In one possession, James’ quick spin out of the catch made Williams fly out of his way, resulting in an easy lay-in. Moments later, an elaborate post-work turnaround:
He hit him with a similar movement at the beginning of the second.
The good news: first, it is another valuable learning experience for Williams, which we know he will accept in sports. And two, at least at first, did not affect his attack. Williams scored four points and two offensive rebounds in the first quarter aggressively.
And Williams caught him back in the third with a long-range pass in a pass to Marc Gasol … Before James hit him with post fades the next two times on the ground … Then he incited him to a foul by kicking in a similar movement in the middle of the period. In fact, James took over for the long haul of that third quarter, giving three assists – all to Wesley Matthews 3s who helped balance the game – and scoring 10 points.
Williams’ improvements stood out as the game progressed, however. In the fourth period, he made two defensive plays that led directly to the buckets – the second was a strong possession of isolation protecting James, in which he forced an air ball. A quick layup of LaVine on the other side made the game 110-107. James scored a crucial basket and one on Williams’ chest with just under a minute to play.
Still, encouraging: in Porter’s absence, Williams closed the final stretch with the small ball line from the Bulls’ fourth period, which is often used. He lined up over James the entire time, and stood still while James decided on a reach 3 logo that went wrong and gave the Bulls a chance to win.
The rookie stole four steals and brought eight rebounds. Altogether, a solid display.
And a solid display from the Bulls, which took the defending champions – albeit without Davis – to the wire, battling 12 to eight minutes left and seven to two minutes remaining to have a chance to win in the final seconds.
Even at the start of the campaign, this is a team markedly different from the one that opened 2020-21 with two defeats to the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers.
Next: A meeting with the Clippers ends the trip on Sunday.