Bulls at Dallas. 7:30 tip on NBC Sports Chicago with Neil and Stacey. Radio: WLS Radio AM 890 with Bill Wennington and yours truly.
Last game: After surrendering forty-six first quarter points the Bulls put the clamps on the Pelicans in the third quarter and hung on for a 113-109 victory. Eight double figure scorers. Jarell Eddie nailed a three with seconds left to preserve the win.
Our CCI Player of the Game: Jerian Grant with nine assists and eleven points. Did you know last year Grant improved his three point shooting by a whopping fourteen percent from his rookie year? He made his only two attempts last night. A bit of trivia, his younger brother Jerami of OKC kept it in the family as he was second in three point shooting percentage improvement.
OK, I’m in a giving mood ....a game ball to Justin Holiday who outplayed his brother Jrue. Holiday moves so well without the ball-the guy is a true professional. His stat line 14 points -2 reb- 4 assists -3 steals. NY elected to keep Ron Baker and it’s Chicago’s gain. Their father Harvey and Uncle Horace are beaming with pride I’m sure.
Inside the Bulls: Cristiano Felicio is an old school, tough, won’t back down player. A 15 point 5 rebound game in 22 minutes is impressive. His off season work will pay big dividends.
Interesting stat line: Last year the Bulls attempted 22- 3pt fgs -29th in the NBA. The new look, ball movement oriented 2017-18 edition took 35 on Tuesday shooting a spectacular 45%. (Valentine drilled 4) The downside- only 13 free throw attempts.
Tonight’s opponent: Dallas, fresh off a 106-104 Monday night home court win over the Bucks. Head Coach Rick Carlisle played a whopping 18 players in the game...this is not a typo..18! Memo to my broadcast partner and former Mavs’ number one pick Bill Wennington....buy a program!
Pace and Space in Dallas: The keys to the car belong to rookie point guard Dennis Smith who is an electrifying 6-3 flash of energy. Dirk Nowitzki is entering his 20th NBA season. He has scored over 30-thousand career points. Dirk will play center this season. You heard right...he’s at the 5. Spacing is emphasized with a bevy of skilled guards . Dirk will open up the lanes.
NBA notes: A change needed to be made regarding the All Star Game. How do you feel about captains picking respective teams and the abolishment of East vs West?
Send me your thoughts. Cswirsky@bulls.com
Thanks for reading CCI. Go Bulls!