Here were the bets for Friday’s fight between the Bulls and Magic in Orlando:
This sequence … Lives. The Bulls dropped 123-119, moving their record to 8-13 this season. The slaughtered Magic, meanwhile, won only the third victory in their last 15 games.
Here’s what stood out:
Another slow start, more physical problems
The Bulls’ holders came out of the gates slowly in this one. For the third consecutive game, Billy Donovan asked for an early timeout – this, 2:36 compared to 103 and 50 seconds in the previous two games. At that point, the Bulls lost 12-4 and Nikola Vučević had 10 points and 2 3s.
Orlando’s lead increased to 18-4 at the 8:20 mark. Replacing Thad Young with Daniel Gafford immediately coincided with an 11-0 streak that pushed the Bulls back into the game, and the end of the first period and the beginning of the second period had a healthy boost and pull. A Denzel Valentine 3 at the 5:09 mark in the second crowned a 45-25 run in about 15 minutes, and gave the Bulls a 49-43 lead.
So Evan Fournier caught fire from there. He scored his first basket of the game with 5 minutes left in the second, and had 14 – and 3 hit 3 points – in the break. Vučević in both quarters scored 24 points and 7 rebounds, making 4 to 6 from the bottom.
Vučević finished with 43 points, the best of his career (17 on 29 FG, 4 on 10 3P), plus 19 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block. His dominance was a strong reminder of the Bulls’ defensive misfortunes and Wendell Carter Jr.’s absence. The 35-20 lead in Magic’s free-throw attempt and 19 second-chance points marked a physical formula similar to the one the Knicks employed to win the Bulls on Wednesday.
The Bulls arrived late, finishing with 17 points of their own second chance and playing with great urgency on Wednesday, but it proved to be too late.
“They played a full game and we didn’t, “said Zach LaVine.” And that has been our MO for the last few games. We need to find out how to play a complete game. “
Lauri Markkanen exits the game
Lauri Markkanen got in and out of this after hitting his right shoulder in a drive through – and finishing over – the Magic winger Gary Clark at 7:19 in the first quarter. He played another two and a half minutes, making a free throw and a 3-point basket, but made up at the 4:49 mark while visibly making a face and favoring the shoulder.
To start the second half, Markkanen returned. But he definitely recovered just under two minutes into the third quarter, with what the Bulls ended up calling a sprained right shoulder.
Markkanen’s night ended after 17 minutes of play with 13 points, 5 rebounds and solid 5 to 9 pitch marks from the ground and 2 to 5 from the bottom. He had shown some assertive takes in a game, after scoring 8 points in 8 field goal attempts against the Knicks. After a strong start to the season, an injury absence is obviously the last thing he or the Bulls need.
Donovan called Markkanen “unlikely” for Saturday’s rematch with Magic following the dispute, saying the Bulls are likely to know more after testing in Chicago.
Patrick Williams is discovering some things
Another game, another encouraging flash from rookie striker Patrick Williams.
Building a 6-point assertive fourth period in the next recovery against the Knicks, he came out decisive in this. Over a period, he led the Bulls in scoring (9 points) and had a handful of decisive moves, causing two fouls in the first 12 minutes.
A quiet second bedroom followed. But he scored 7 in the third, with another strong submission and one, and a steal and a block. Although Williams probably rejected any positional distinctions, he did have some chance in the position of power striker in the second half. This deafening dunk in the middle of the room gave him the record of his career, 18 points:
An offensive rebound and a lack of 2 kicks in an attempt to reverse the next ball possession pushed him to the 20-point mark. He finished with 20 points (7 out of 11 FG), 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block – perhaps the best move so far. At 19, 163 days old, Williams is the youngest Bull in the franchise’s history to score 20 in a game.
RELATED: LaVine and Donovan Dig Williams’ ‘Aggressive’ Performance
Zach LaVine gives the floor and almost steals the show
Zach LaVine gave the floor to warm hands from the first half early on – from Coby White (who scored 11 of the team’s first 13 points in the second quarter in a race) to Thad Young, Williams and Markkanen before his departure. LaVine made just 1 field goal (in 7 shots) in three quarters, but managed 4 rebounds and made 7 assists.
It didn’t take long to warm up in the room. With the Bulls losing 11 to enter the frame, he scored (11) or helped (2) 13 of the Bulls’ first 15 points in the period.
A sample of the great plays made by LaVine in the bedroom:
- Obtained 3 from a ping-ball possession with about 5 minutes remaining pulled the Bulls within 110-106.
- Cutting back and finishing with just 3 minutes left, reduced the Magic’s lead to 112-109.
- Steal a possession of the Magic after a lost tray from Coby White
- Two free throws (from a lack of 2 kicks in one drive) to tie the game 114-114 with a minute and a half left
- As soon as the game seemed to be out of his reach, he turned Young’s theft into a 3-shot foul and tied within 119-117 with 26.1 seconds remaining
In the end, 24 of his 26 points went to fourth place. He hit 8 out of 14 in the final period. The LaVine line ends at 26-8-4-1 (theft) with just 1 turnover. But the Bulls’ hole was too deep to dig.
“I really felt that Zach had some opportunities to shoot basketball tonight. And I think he continues to play the right way and tries to do the right basketball. He has to find the balance between him and the other guys,” Donovan said. “I think Zach played well. But I also think that for him to be aggressive early in the game, maybe not necessarily scoring or kicking, but attacking and playing downhill, we need that more from him, I think at the beginning of the game.”
“I understood that I wasn’t getting that many shots, but we were playing well and I’m fine with that, “said LaVine.” So, in the fourth period, I obviously managed and understand that I am on a slope. m more aggressive. It is trying to put the two together. Right time, right situation. “
Notable nibbles
- Rotation ripples in the absence of Markkanen: Denzel Valentine was Markkanen’s immediate replacement in the third. He finished 14 out of 6 out of 12 shots – his second consecutive double-digit score – and gave some impetus for a comeback. Chandler Hutchison returned to the rotation in the second half, registering 6 minutes and making a turn.
- The closing alignment: Coby White, Zach LaVine, Garrett Temple, Patrick Williams and Thad Young were the unit in the final stretch. Young (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) started the second half in place of Daniel Gafford and played 11 minutes. Donovan remains supported by Young – in this one, for 32 minutes – and he made a firmer defense, facilitating and speeding up the plays. With Markkanen out and Williams well, the rookie got a valuable race and it will be very necessary to move on.
RELATED: Donovan won’t overdo Young to deal with Bulls’ slow starts
- Higher and lower for Coby White. He had that hustle and bust in the second quarter, a big block in Fournier in the fourth and tied the Bulls – 112-112 – with just over two minutes to play.
He also lost that layup in a ball possession that could have really changed the momentum and ended 2-to-8 in the 2-point range (0-to-4 in the paint). General: 16 points, 3 assists and 1 turnover with a 3-point 4-to-9 throw (the last was a lift) is a shrug line. But he has shown signs that he is coming out of what has been a small dip.
From Markkanen, to absences related to Magic injuries, to lulls that kept the Bulls below double digits, it’s a loss that leaves a bitter taste.
Next: back to Orlando on Saturday.
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