The Bulls will get plenty of rest/practice time this week. Following a road trip to Indiana for a Tuesday game, the Bulls won’t play again until a rare Friday-Saturday home back to back featuring OKC and Boston. The break couldn’t have come at a better time. The Bulls have lost six straight and 10 of 11 but the locker room remains solid, which is a tribute to the character of the players. No finger pointing; no one enjoys losing, but if you follow the Bulls, you’ll notice the bench is very invested during the game encouraging their teammates on. The return of Lauri Markkanen has produced an infusion of energy and hope and that’s always a good thing. I’m excited to see Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. play side by side. I believe they compliment each other extremely well. I can see these two being foundation pieces for a good decade in Chicago.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Miami 102, Utah 100: Hassan Whiteside with a 23-20-5 game. Dwayne Wade with two free throws with three seconds left was just enough for the Heat.
Philadelphia 103, Memphis 95: Jimmy Butler scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Butler and Ben Simmons have begun wearing headbands as a sign of unity to play defense. The 76ers have won eight of nine.
Los Angeles Lakers 120, Phoenix 96: Not a good night at the office for the Suns who lost Devin Booker to a hamstring injury. The Suns fall to 4-19 - seven of those losses have come with a deficit of 20+.
New Orleans 119, Charlotte 109: Anthony Davis is hoopin’. 36-19-8 . Are you serious? Frank Kaminsky with 19-5 for Charlotte.
San Antonio 131, Portland 118: DeMar DeRozan with a season-high 36 points. The Spurs took out their frustration of lopsided losses of 39 and 31 points on the Blazers who have now dropped five of six.
Dallas 114, Los Angeles Clippers 110: DeAndre Jordan faced his former team and delivered a 16 points 23 rebounds game...but of course, it’s just another game... Righhhhht. Luka Doncic missed the game with a hip strain. Dallas has won seven straight home games.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out to cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls. Always a pleasure!