This time of the year around the All-Star break it’s common for NBA players to find a warm, summery destination to get rejuvenated for the closing kick of the regular season. The Bulls? They prefer Detroit.
Because that has meant relaxation and a smile, the Bulls Wednesday with their 14th consecutive victory over the Eastern Conference’s worst team. But this time it was no walk in the park because this piece of cake almost got thrown in their face when the Bulls lost a 21-point third quarter lead and watched the Pistons with multiple opportunities to go ahead in the last minutes.
Three times in the last three minutes the Pistons tied the game only to miss shots, and in the end raise the worst echoes of Michigan star Chris Webber when former Purdue star Jaden Ivey called a timeout with the Pistons trailing 114-112 with 9.7 seconds left.
Time for a miracle?
It was since no one ever thought anyone would do that again. Horrified Pistons players and coaches gasped, grimaced and groaned since the Pistons didn’t have a timeout. The result was a technical free throw for the Bulls, Zach LaVine making it for his 41st point. And a turnover to the Bulls, who got free throws from DeMar DeRozan before a late banked in three by Detroit for the final basket margin.
“It was a good win,” said LaVine. “Wish we were able to sit down in the fourth quarter a little bit; at the end of the day we did what we had to do. By the end of the third quarter, we had an 18-point lead. So we did what we were supposed to do. Even if we came out going back and forth to close out.
So no day at the beach, but it, nevertheless, was a relief as the Bulls avoided being burned in another disastrous fourth quarter collapse despite being outscored in the fourth 29-16. The win broke a five-game road losing streak in which the Bulls were outscored by an average of double digits in those fourth quarters.
“You could see the way we came out, going at them, having a good flow for the game coming out of halftime fast,” said LaVine. “But at the end of the third going into the fourth we lost a little bit of that momentum; only thing that matters is we were able to close it out.”
Just like what some other sports are going to, maybe the Bulls just need a shorter game.
“A little fatigued, too, obviously on a back to back. But we don’t want to make excuses,” said Patrick Beverley, who had his first double/double of the season with five points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It also was a career-first for Beverley with double-digit assists and rebounds.
“We weathered the storm,” Beverley agreed. “A win is a win no matter how ugly it is. The first half was some of the best basketball we played all season (even if it’s his fourth game as a Bull). You’ve got to look at the good and bad.”
This ended up good because the Bulls inched up to 29-34, or, at least, didn’t fall back farther in the push for the play-in tournament and the playoffs. Though it was bad the way a pristine effort turned poisonous down the stretch against a young, inexperienced team.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan usually is complimentary of the players no matter the circumstances and then wades into profound analysis about the context of the events. But Donovan this time seemed unusually exasperated about the way the game turned against the Bulls again in the latter stages.
This time at least not fatally.
“I know how hard it is to win in this league and to win on the road, so I don’t want to diminish the work these guys put in,” Donovan said. “I was really encouraged by the way we played basketball in that first half, 20 assists, 69 points at the half. We were moving the ball, and then we came out very carefree and relaxed. We didn’t close the third quarter the correct way, and we didn’t start the fourth the correct way. And you saw what happened. They’re playing with energy. They were overwhelming us. We had our foot on the gas in the first half…we’ve got to eventually get that corrected where we keep our foot on the gas.
“It’s what we fall back into,” Donovan lamented. “We fall back into this team the first 24 minutes of the game playing unbelievable, beautiful basketball. Then you see a team looking lethargic, uninspired. It’s amazing to me, to be quite honest, because I have a lot of hope and optimism with this group because you see the best of these guys. We got lucky we got up 20, but we’ve got to get that resolved.”
So welcome to the United Center Friday Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
The story continues.
It’s a footnote now, probably like the Ivey timeout. After all, the Pistons aren’t getting out of 15th in the Eastern Conference or messing up their odds for the top pick in the NBA draft.
But there was a bit of a Pat Beverley moment midway through the fourth quarter that even roused the usually phlegmatic Nikola Vučević, who had 12 points and nine rebounds. DeRozan had 21 points and Coby White was back with 14. Patrick Williams this time closed out the game with the starters instead of Alex Caruso, who remained a starter with Beverley. Williams had 11.
Beverley has made it a point of pride since he came to the Bulls after the All-Star break, and most of his career, to be the one who calls out teammates when he sees plays he says are inappropriate.
“I’m not the type who’s going to withhold any type of information, any type of anything I can give them I am going to give them,” Beverley reiterated after the game. “Be on their ass when they’re (messing) up, be the first person off the bench when they hit big shots. I’ve always been that type of teammate.”
This was after the Pistons 21-4 run that extended from late in the third quarter into the fourth with the Bulls by then having to return hard serves. Bojan Bogdanović, whom everyone was surprised was not traded to a contender, was raining down threes, eight among his 34 points. But the Bulls still were making plays, Williams with a crucial block, Beverley with an offensive rebound that led to a three.
It was 106-98 Bulls with about six minutes left when the uber-athletic Ivey slowly dribbled up court and flashed by Beverley for a layup and foul for a three-point play. Beverley immediately turned toward Vučević with his arms outstretched, apparently demanding, “Where were you! Where was my help!”
Vučević uncharacteristically went back at the animated Beverley, pointing to his defensive assignment. DeRozan had to step between, though Vučević already was walking away.
It conspired in some eyes to make Vučević look responsible. But it looked perhaps like Beverley seeking an excuse for being beaten off the dribble. Bogdanović was in the midst of that scoring spree and it seemed like Vučević was moving into position to help Williams with Bogdanović, who was aiming toward getting another screen for a long shot.
Perhaps Vučević could have helped, but it seemed more like the defense then was shading toward helping on Bogdanović. Perhaps DeRozan might have helped more since he was defending Hamidou Diallo in the corner, and he hadn’t made a three in the game. In any case, with the win it merely became a footnote.
Because LaVine was positively footloose.
Like Kenny Loggins wrote, “Been working so hard; I’m punching my card; I’ve gotten this feeling; I’ll hit the ceiling; tear up this town; gotta cut loose, footloose.”
Nobody stands on the Detroit Pistons like Zach LaVine.
Michael Jordan would be proud even if there’s no resemblance to those Bad Boys. Though in posting his second game of at least 40 points this season against Detroit — averaging 38 points on 65 percent shooting against the Pistons this season — LaVine moved into second place in Bulls franchise history in 40-point games. Way behind, but in the running.
It was LaVine who got the Bulls running to success even if it became a bumpy road before the finish line.
LaVine coming off being chased and harassed in Toronto came out firing accurately, back to back threes in the first minutes as the Bulls had a double digit lead less than six minutes into the game. LaVine had 14 points in the quarter as the Bulls extended the margin to 29-14 before the Pistons made the first of their series of responses and cut the Bulls lead to 38-36 after one quarter.
“Caught a flow,” said LaVine. “Obviously, I got hot early and then everyone else was cooking and we had a good flow. And then came up with some big stops (in the fourth).”
With a dominant second quarter and White making a pair of threes, the Bulls went into the half leading 69-54. And then LaVine piled on with 19 third-quarter points, three of four threes and the Bulls leading 100-79 with about a minute left in the third quarter after a 30-foot LaVine pull-up.
The Pistons got a late Bogdanovic three, though the Bulls still led 101-86 going into the fourth.
Rest of the night off for Zach? After all, last place team, Bulls sitting on 13 straight over Detroit’s kiddie corps. But the shots stopped falling. DeRozan with a couple of misses, Caruso, too. Andre Drummond a turnover, one by Caruso and one by DeRozan. And when Diallo made a 20 footer with about eight minutes left, it was the Bulls by four. The home fans had awakened, that annoying p.a. announcer was clamoring, and this looked bad for the Bulls as Donovan rushed LaVine back in.
But now the Pistons athletic young players were responding—just until that last 10 seconds—and harassing LaVine all over the place. DeRozan still was missing shots, but he made a big one with 2:04 left. And then the Pistons couldn’t handle LaVine on a drive with 48.9 seconds left and he was fouled and made two for a 114-112 Bulls lead.
Ivey against good Bulls defense missed a forced three to go ahead. DeRozan missed. And then the Pistons called their last timeout to set up a chance to tie or take the lead with 9.7 seconds left. Ivey called one more, and you just wonder about the curriculum at those Big 10 universities.
At least it added up for the Bulls this time.
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