10 observations: DeRozan makes history in win over Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Chicago Bulls will enter the All-Star break 38-21 and on a five-game win streak thanks to Wednesday’s 125-118 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Here are 10 observations:
1. In a development that should surprise no one, this one was a shootout. The Bulls scored 125 points, shot 50 percent (for an NBA-high 23rd time this season) and committed just eight turnovers, yet this one hung in the balance until the final minutes of the fourth quarter because the Kings shot 51.2 percent and 12-for-30 from 3-point range.
2. DeMar DeRozan made NBA history with his seventh straight game of 35 or more points on 50 percent or better shooting, breaking the record previously set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1960-61 and 1963.
To put it precisely, DeRozan notched 38 points on 16-for-27 shooting to lead the charge against Sacramento. And, as has become a regular occurrence, he was at his best down the stretch, notching 12 points in the fourth quarter.
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3. This must also be noted: Early in the period, as he faced double-teams on every ball-screen and sometimes in isolation, DeRozan consistently made the right read as a facilitator. In addition to those 12 fourth-quarter points, he handed out three of his six assists in the final frame. He’s now averaging 5.2 assists per game on the season, and 5.6 during the 35-point/50-percent shooting streak.
4. Coby White was brilliant yet again in what the Bulls hope is his last start in place of Zach LaVine for the time being.
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Not only did White continue his recent hot streak of scoring — posting a season-high 31 points — he also continued to display the leap as a decision-maker he has made in his third NBA season, handing out six assists against one turnover. Five of those dimes came in the first half as he leveraged a handful of drives and closeout attacks into scoring opportunities for others.
White also drained a season-high-tying six 3-pointers for the second time in four games — three in the fourth quarter — deftly utilizing shot fakes and strategic spot-ups off his double-teamed teammates to free himself up. He's now hit 21 3s in his last four games, and with a 63.6 percent conversion rate.
5. Nikola Vučević secured his 34th double-double of the season with a last-second rebound, bringing his final stat line to 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. He enters the break averaging 22.9 points, 12.8 rebounds and four assists in his last 14 games.
6. Javonte Green was questionable much of the day with a sprained ankle, but the Bulls are happy he made it onto the floor. Green scored in double-figures for the eighth time in 13 games since returning from a groin strain on Jan. 24, notching 15 points and making six of his seven field-goal attempts.
Again, the key to Green’s success was finding gaps to cut through — and spot up in, to the tune of 3-for-4 3-point shooting — around his higher-gravity teammates. Green had one game in his NBA career with three made 3s entering this season, but now has two in his last three appearances.
7. It’s beating a dead horse at this point, but the decimated nature of the Bulls’ bench must be noted. Still without LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams, the team’s reserve group of Troy Brown Jr., Derrick Jones Jr., Matt Thomas and Tony Bradley combined for just eight points on 2-for-12 shooting, including a third 0-fer from Brown Jr. (0-for-5) in his last four games.
It helped, then, that each of the Bulls’ starters cracked double-figures, with Ayo Dosunmu the low man at 12 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
8. The 3-pointer that De’Aaron Fox banked in just after the first-quarter buzzer may have gotten waved off, but the fact that it went in at all spoke to his hot start. He scored a game-high 14 points (on 6-for-8 shooting, 2-for-3 from 3) in the opening period, dicing the Bulls up on dribble-drives and pull-up jumpers throughout. He hardly slowed down from there, finishing with 33 points and nine dimes.
9. Dosunmu had his share of rookie moments checking Fox and committed four turnovers, including a head-scratcher on a late inbounds play with the game’s outcome decided.
That said, he also made the defensive play of the game with this chasedown block on Donte DiVincenzo:
10. LaVine joined the Bulls’ bench in street clothes for the second half, a good sign after Donovan told reporters pregame that LaVine's visit with a Los Angeles knee specialist went “very well,” and he’s cleared to return when the Bulls reconvene after the All-Star break. LaVine is now bound for Cleveland:
Next up for the Bulls: A week off, before returning next Thursday at home against the Hawks.
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