The Chicago Bulls (22-26) complete a three-game road trip tonight with a visit to Orlando to take on the Magic (19-30) in the second of three this season. The Bulls arrive frustrated after a second-straight gut-wrenching defeat against a team they should have beaten. After blowing a 21-point first half lead and falling 116-110 at Indiana to start the trip on Tuesday, Chicago failed to close the deal again Thursday at Charlotte, blowing a couple of double-digit leads, losing 111-96 to the now 14-36 Hornets.
Chicago got off to explosive starts in both games only to wilt down the stretch. It’s anyone’s guess how they’ll respond tonight against the Magic, who are playing the second of a back-to-back after falling 110-105 to the Heat in Miami last night.
Orlando captured an exciting 108-107 victory in the series opener with the Bulls back in November at the United Center. Jalen Suggs cold-bloodedly sank a three-pointer with five seconds left on the clock for the game winner. Suggs finished with 20 points and eight assists, while former Bulls center, Wendell Carter Jr., also came up big with a team-best 21 points, eight rebounds and five dimes. Sophomore forward, Franz Wagner, likewise chipped in 20 points and dished eight assists.
As for the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan, as he has done many times, led all scorers with 41 points, and Nikola Vučević pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
Although the Magic are in the middle of a rebuilding cycle, they’ve always played Chicago tough, as the teams have split their last 10 games. All-in-all, Chicago still possesses a lifetime 64-55 (.538) mark versus the Magic.
As for tonight’s contest, here are a couple of things to key on as the Bulls look to dispel the Magic on their home floor (6:00 pm CST tipoff – NBC Sports Chicago):
(WILL) CAN THE BULLS BOUNCE BACK?
Chicago is currently 11th in the East, six games behind Miami for 6th, the final slot where teams can avoid having to take part in the end-of-season play-in tournament. Offensively, the Bulls come in averaging 114.2 points, and shoot an impressive 48.7% from the floor, ranking 5th in the league.
DeRozan leads the way at 26.3 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field. Two-time All-Star Zach LaVine is next in line at 23.6 points, followed by Vučević at 17.3 points per game.
As a team, Chicago shoots a respectable 36.4% from deep, which ranks 11th in the league, however, they sit near the bottom of the NBA at No. 30 in the number of shots attempted (29.0) from long range.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls give up 114.6 points and allow opponents to shoot 47.3% from the floor, ranking 18th and 17th, respectively.
As for rebounding, outside of Vučević (11.0 rpg), the next best Bulls boardman that regularly sees the floor is DeRozan at 5.0 per game. As a team, Chicago ranks 22nd in rebounding at 42.5. Tonight, and every night, the Bulls have to do a far better job of crashing the boards and stopping opponents from either scoring second-chance points or grabbing the ball off the defensive glass and immediately heading the other way on a fastbreak.
Tonight, and every night, the Bulls have to play fast, aggressive, and be unselfish. They can’t afford to relax and/or coast, even for just a minute, until the final horn sounds.
Offensively, the ball has to freely move around, making its way into the hands of everyone. At the same time, those without the ball have to contribute by constantly moving in and out of the paint and all around the perimeter, freeing themselves for easy scores and open looks at the basket.
Collectively, Chicago has to be ready to drive the ball deep into the paint and attack the basket, drawing contact and finishing at the rim. The Bulls have to welcome physicality and not shy away from it. They have to force Orlando’s defense to scramble and become confused and scattered. They have to hit the floor with a hardnosed attitude and refuse to back down.
The Bulls have the talent to be a quality team, but they have to play as one unit and not allow egos to get in the way. They have to get serious about playing hard for all 48 minutes. The offense can’t grind to a halt with isolation, one-on-one play. Everyone has to assume responsibility and ownership of the team’s seemingly lack of grit whenever opponents buckle-down and begin to apply pressure. There’s absolutely no reason Chicago should ever get outhustled or outworked at either end of the floor.
THE KIDS CAN PLAY
The future definitely looks bright down at the Magic Kingdom. Orlando tipped off the season with an average age of 23.94, the fourth-youngest in the league. Their roster consists of 10 players with three-or-less years of NBA experience and 10 players aged 24-and-under.
Ex-Bulls big man, Wendell Carter Jr., seems to always play great against Chicago, so don’t be shocked if he has another big night against his old team. Second-year forward Franz Wagner is another fast riser. The 6’9 wingman has played in all but one game this season and comes in averaging 20.2 points per game. He can inflict damage inside and out, so whoever ends up guarding him better be up to the task.
The aforementioned Jalen Suggs is another promising young player, along with guards Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz, but there’s one player to really zero in on tonight, and that’s rookie Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft.
Banchero has so far led (or tied) the team in scoring a team-best 19 times, in rebounding 10 times and in assists seven times. He’s scored in double-figures 40 times, 20+ points 26-times and 30+ points four-times, including a career-high 33 vs. Sacramento at the start of the season. He’s also posted seven double-doubles.
Still not sure about this kid? Well, Banchero posted 20+ points in 15 of his first 20 games, and he’s just 20-years old.
The 6’10 forward from Duke has played in 42 of 49 games and leads the Magic, as well as all NBA rookies in scoring at 20.7 per contest. He also leads the Magic at getting to the free throw line, attempting 7.9 charity tosses a night, and hitting 76.3%. Every now and then, Banchero will launch from behind the arc, but the strength of his game is running downhill and getting to the rim. He’s also terrific at pulling up from mid-range. Most likely Patrick Williams will be tasked with guarding Banchero, but DeRozan as well as Derrick Jones Jr. off the bench will also be called on to shadow this budding superstar from time-to-time. All three will need to do what they can to take away his ability to get to the basket, forcing him to stay out of the paint and on the perimeter, where his game still needs seasoning.