Game Recap

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Sam Smith

It felt like all that was missing Saturday in the Advocate Center was Bulls Executive Vice-president of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas with a skull in his hand mimicking the Hamlet skull soliloquy.

Alas, poor Bulls Big Three, I knew them well.

But not likely anymore because in the wake of the Bulls 112-91 season-ending play-in tournament loss Friday to the Miami Heat, Karnišovas Saturday signaled the death of the three stars alignment the Bulls put together in 2021as their potential championship representation.

But after consecutive losing seasons, the failure to make the playoffs since 2022 and injuries that often have limited Zach LaVine, Karnišovas effectively declared the end to the LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vučević triumvirate.

“This group, something doesn’t work,” Karnišovas said during the press conference. “I have to find ways to find a group that’s going to make improvements. We’ve done it for a couple years now and it hasn’t worked. Everything is on the table. It goes without saying that the conclusion of the season fell short of expectations regardless of injury, status. Any season where we don’t end deep into the postseason requires close examination, which has already begun. I can talk about all of our players through a positive lens, but in totality as a team we didn’t meet expectations. We’re not here for the play-in. It’s a team game and we have to make changes to fix things. I take full responsibility for where we are right now. I know that our fans aren’t satisfied with where we finished the season and neither am I. 

“Analysis will start right now and go into free agency,” Karnišovas declared. “I think we’re going to be pretty aggressive the way we showed before (summer 2021) going into the draft and free agency. We obviously can’t roll (out) the same team again and expect different results. We definitely understand that even with some of the positivity with the clutch wins and overtime wins, we’re still at 39 (wins) and at the play-in. We have to somehow generate an additional 10 wins. Even with injuries we suffered this year, we need to change things. I’m thinking about winning and that’s why I am here. I am not here to stay in the middle. The formula we came up (with) three years ago, I thought it was working. Until couple injuries and we’re going to have to find these answers in this offseason. Obviously, the results are not what we wanted and I totally get it and it’s on me to figure it out. There’s a lot of great things in certain individual players, and a lot of young guys who took a step forward and it’s positive but in totality as a group it didn’t work. Going into this offseason, we’re going to be more aggressive to look to improve this team. We’ve been creative in the past and going into this offseason basically everything is on the table, so we are going to look at everything.”

Karnišovas didn’t specifically discount the possibility of a rebuild, but it didn’t sound close to that path with indications of new deals with DeRozan and Patrick Williams. Both are free agents, Williams restricted, and Karnišovas indicated there is mutual interest regarding returns. 

Karnišovas also said he is confident in coach Billy Donovan and the work he has done and was indecisive on the return of Lonzo Ball. Karnišovas continued to emphasize substantial changes in the roster and being aggressive in the trade and free agency markets for the first time since the summer of 2021.

He indicated because of injuries, inconsistent performances and changing rotations his goal of continuity didn’t work as Donovan reiterated after Friday’s loss. Karnišovas didn’t specially mention LaVine, who has been subject to trade speculation.

Karnišovas also said he views the need to increase payroll into the excess salary cap luxury tax only if the team is on a sure trajectory to a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference and thus a first round playoff series with the home court.

“I won’t be satisfied until we bring a championship to the city of Chicago,” Karnišovas said. “That’s why I was hired, that’s why I am here, and my mission remains unchanged. It's a result-driven business and I'll be evaluated based on results and I expect that. Diving into this off-season I put an emphasis on turning this program around. I like what Billy has done here the last four years. Billy is someone you build a program with. He’s a very good coach and even a better human being. He’s obviously a great leader, great coach and I’ve got to do a better job to help him, to find a group. We put emphasis on cohesion this year and I think this group kind of bonded. In totality it didn’t work and I have to find these answers. We established a winning expectation, we defined a profile for the Bulls player, and we put an emphasis on player development. It is also on me to facilitate Billy with the resources he needs to build a team that can be successful consistently.”

— On DeRozan: “DeMar’s been great for us for three years. He’s been invested in the city of Chicago and has been really great to our young guys, so both sides are interested in continuing so we’ll see what happens in free agency.”

— On Williams: “The disappointing thing is we lost Patrick for the season, and the last three months. I wish we could’ve seen this team with Patrick on it. We lack, obviously, size without him. The both sides are mutually, they want him to be here. We’ll approach free agency as always.”

— On Ball: “He’s improving. We’ll see where he is at next couple of months (if) no setbacks we’ll see where he is at in terms of on court and basketball side so we’ll figure it out. We’re just going to wait and see his progression the next couple months. He’s progressing well. Everything is looking with no setbacks.”

— On paying the luxury tax: “My approach looking at the luxury tax is if you can prove that your team is going to be in the top four you go in the luxury tax. It just makes no sense to be in the play-in if you’re going to be in the luxury tax. As long as I can put a team together that is going to be competing top four in the East, that’s when you start to look at retaining guys and go in the luxury tax.”&nbsp;

So much for these Bulls’ players gibes, their gambols and their songs, the flashes of merriment. Yes, for the Bulls the game’s again afoot. Once more into the breach for Artūras.

Got a question for Sam?Submit your question to Sam at asksam@bulls.com

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

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Artūras Karnišovas addresses media following play-in tournament

They were going to be Starsky and Hutch, Butch and Sundance, silver and gold, fame and fortune, righteous brothers. The Bulls a few years back supposedly finally found another electric and eclectic scoring duo, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, to start a new era of Bulls basketball excellence. Sure there was Lonzo and Vooch, but it was the two All-Stars, All-NBA, Olympic gold medal to be, Mr. Steady and Mr. Slam.

And now with the Bulls season ending 112-91 loss Friday to the Miami Heat once again in the NBA’s play-in tournament, two of the biggest questions facing this Bulls team moving forward is what to do about DeRozan, who is an unrestricted free agent, and LaVine, who is recovering from foot surgery and subject to trade rumors and speculation for the past year.

There are other issues to deal with like injured Patrick Williams, who is a restricted free agent. The Bulls can match an offer or make him a qualifying offer to retain his rights for one more season, or negotiate an extension. Backup center Andre Drummond also is an unrestricted free agent, like DeRozan. So is Javonte Green. Lonzo Ball has a player option he certainly will pick up as his presence with the team remains uncertain after missing the last two seasons after multiple knee surgeries.

In some respects, the Bulls look like they moved on with the development of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu in LaVine’s absence. Still, they finished the regular season with a poorer record than last season with LaVine missing half this season, and again failed to make the playoffs. Perhaps puncturing the notion the team is better off without LaVine. A salient question has been if LaVine returns whether it would set back the development of White and Dosunmu.

And then there’s DeRozan, who has been the team’s go-to player, fourth quarter scoring star and veteran presence. He’s expressed interest many times this season about re-signing with the Bulls. And while it’s hardly his fault after consecutive missed playoffs, should the team pivot and evolve to its younger players? After all, DeRozan will be 35 this summer, and if he resigns with the Bulls their salary cap space to do much more would be limited.

And can the team continue to depend on him as many minutes as he played leading the league this season even at his age? But if not who can step up in the clutch as he has, and really no one else has with consistency. In addition, at 35 is it time for him to take a look at a team closer to contending with his prime years nearing an end? Perhaps a sign and trade?

And do the Bulls trade LaVine and if not in a deal return an All-Star given LaVine’s health uncertainties, perhaps pieces to fit their obvious needs? Like a three-point shooter and an athletic power forward type?

Or with LaVine returning to health give them one more run with the development and improvement of White and Dosunmu and the steadiness of Nikola Vucevic because despite the disappointing loss in Miami, the East is not so powerful anymore and it seems like the team with a tweak and a twist here and there maybe isn’t that far away?

The theme was continuity, consistency and competitiveness the last two seasons with no trade deadline movement.

Questions, questions, questions. Without answers for now.

“In my conversations with Arturas (Karnišovas, basketball operations chief), the feeling was can we generate and create some continuity with the group,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “That was the overriding thing, and that continuity never happened, quite honestly. And the reason it didn’t happen we have two starters out. From day one when all this happened I’ve said I felt there was enough in the locker room to compete. 

“What could've been a very difficult, challenging, disastrous season those guys turned into an opportunity to get to the playoffs one game away and we didn’t earn that,” Donovan acknowledged. “So the plan and my conversations talking to Arturas was let’s get this group together with the understanding that Lonzo we knew wasn't coming back. My conversations with them was let's keep this group together, let's see what this looks like, let's see if we can make steps of growth. We’ve got to get more connected as a team, all that stuff, and with the way the season unfolded with several injuries it’s hard to sit here and say…there was no continuity this year. There just wasn't, really from start to finish. That was the initial goal, to try to create some consistency.”

Which makes it a big offseason for the Bulls that has started much sooner than they hoped or expected.

Donovan said, “It would be nice if he (DeRozan) came back,” and players seconded that.

“That’s my dawg,” said Coby White. “It would mean everything for this organization, for the fans, for this city, for everything he’s done for this organization and the city and my personal growth, my dawg; whatever he wants he should get paid. It’s important for us to have him back and me personally I want him back and hopefully they can get everything done and he’ll be back in a Chicago Bulls uniform next season.”

White also put in a good word for LaVine.

“He’s kept in contact,” White said. “When the media ran with all that (trade) stuff it was out of his control. He’s been here and after games texts the group. He texted me and the team right after the Atlanta win (to congratulate). Zach has been my teammate since I’ve been in the NBA and I know how much he cares about winning and the team and I don’t see a problem because I know who he is as a person. He gives us and me motivation and I can’t thank him enough for that.”

Caruso also weighed in with support for LaVine and Patrick Williams, and Caruso dismissed the notion that LaVine’s presence would harm the other guards.

“Throughout the year you could see times all the guards and wings, we had to play 40 minutes and being able to cut that down to 30 and having a guy come in and play 30 (would strengthen the team),” said Caruso. “He (LaVine) was averaging close to five assists; something he’s gotten better at is making reads and obviously everyone knows the scoring talent he has. He can score in bunches and be a threat for us and kind of get a shot whenever he needs and that is something that is invaluable in the NBA; a guy you can say here’s the ball and go make something happen. There’s always a spot for someone like that on the team.

“Coby, Ayo, myself, we’re intellectual, cerebral players; we can always find a way to fit in with that,” said Caruso. “Also missing Patrick this year; he was playing really well coming out of that (5-14) stretch at the beginning of the year. I think he’s a difference maker for us with his versatility and gives us a lot. I was forced to play some of that small ball four. I tried my best, but obviously I’m not the athlete, the rebounder, the physical presence Patrick is. So missing him really hurt, and obviously Zach is one of your big guns, a guy who can score points in bunches and the other team has to respect. That obviously hurt.”

Of course, you support your teammates. Not to say they were insincere, but all the Chicago Bears players talked about preferring Justin Fields. It’s management’s job, however.

And no one likes to mention the injuries, but LaVine and Williams did account for about 40 points per game.

"When you look at the list of guys that were out, Pat, Zach, it's key players,” DeRozan agreed. “It's big time players that we were missing. Even when they were out we didn't sit up here making excuses, looking like we had less; everybody took upon the challenge. Sometimes we couldn’t sustain it. Sometimes we went on runs where we made it look good. I think just knowing that so many key guys were out was for me always kept the hope there. We were against the gun throughout the whole season. A couple of weeks ago we had a team meeting and Billy brought up how many guys were missing and I remember leaving practice and I was, ‘Damn, I never thought once we were missing this much of an important group of guys and we were still resilient.’ That's what gave me the hope, honestly. Knowing if we were healthy we'd have figured it out. But the talent of guys we had not being able to play was a real thing for us.

“My first year, that was the team that we'd planned on being,” said DeRozan of the group with Lonzo Ball that was leading the East until near All-Star break and Ball’s loss for knee surgery. “Then lose our star point guard in ‘Zo, Zach getting hurt. That first year we had all the pieces in place. I don't know if a black cat ran in front of us or we broke a mirror or whatever. But (a team for the future) just giving us a chance to be competitive and putting a team on the floor we can go out there and compete with. Not just fighting for a play-in game.

“Pretty sure over the next couple days, couple of weeks emotions will be all over the place,” said DeRozan. “Sometimes you gotta kind of let those emotions come down so you can think logically. I could feel all type of negative ways right now that I may not feel next week. I always try not to react off of impulse or speak off impulse no matter how I’m feeling. It's just going to be a long summer for me. It's kinda like you crawling up the hill and take a look at that mountain and think you gotta do it all over again, gotta figure it out. It's just gonna be a long summer for me, just thinking about a lot."

Though DeRozan reiterated his preference &nbsp;to recommit to the Bulls.

"That's still where I'm at," DeRozan said. “At the end of the day though, I hate losing, hate missing opportunities. It really hits you at the end of the season when you look up, last seconds run off and you don't have another game. Next time I play a game it'll be my 16th season. Then you realize the window is closing for you personally. I'm not trying to play 25 years, nothing like that; just want to have the opportunity to have everything great and have the opportunity. My stance on wanting to be here is still the same, but I just want to win. More than anything, just have the opportunity to win and not have to go home and see the first round of the playoffs, second round of the playoffs (on TV); it’s frustrating.”

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Questions the Bulls face heading into the 2024 offseason

So there were the Bulls Friday with the start to the NBA playoffs in Boston clearly ahead, and the Bulls ready to step off the curb of their erratic regular season and cross over to the elevated competition when they apparently didn’t realize there was one of those contra lanes with traffic coming from the opposite direction.

Because the Bulls were flattened and their season basically run over and left for dead in a disastrous 112-91 loss to the Miami Heat even lacking their big wheel, Jimmy Butler.

The Heat was on, and to paraphrase Glen Frey it was in their heads and on every beat; the pressure was high to stay alive. And yes, the Bulls felt it. But the Bulls could do little and go home for the summer as Miami got 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists from Tyler Herro, 21 points from rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., and 19 points off the bench from Kevin Love and absolutely overwhelmed the Bulls, outplaying them from the start during a 19-0 first quarter run and then burying them in a 12-0 late third quarter Bulls comedy of errors that left the Heat — did anyone mention without injured Jimmy Butler — dancing away with a lead that got up to even 29 points during the fourth quarter. 

Miami led for all but the first four minutes of the game and by double digits for all but about three minutes in the third quarter when the Bulls eased within 49-42 early in the quarter and 63-54 with five minutes left. But the Bulls then absolutely imploded in what looked like a clown car doing a Keystone Cops scene. There was an inbounds pass turnover that led to a three, three Miami offensive rebounds on one possession when the Bulls tried a small lineup, Andre Drummond making a steal and throwing the ball away on a two-on-one break after an offensive foul, Coby White dribbling the ball away, and suddenly it was 82-60 Miami going into the fourth quarter, and South Beach look out here they come.

Not so the Bulls, who for the second consecutive season lost the final play-in game in Miami after winning the first to fall just short of a playoff series. This year, however, it was settled much more quickly. Miami opens the playoffs in Boston noon Sunday.

"They came out and did what they were supposed to do,” said DeMar DeRozan, who led the Bulls with 21 quiet points. “Played extremely hard, played together, physical, impressive, more hungry. Came out the gate, we got it down to 10, 11 a few times and we just couldn't pull away from there. It was tough. Missed a lot of easy shots, couldn't find a rhythm offensively or couldn’t really get anything going. They had rhythm offensively, hit shots when they needed.”

But more significantly despite no one much wanting to admit so — Bulls coach Billy Donovan and players talked about shots just not going in — the Miami players were more physical from the start with Miami making a nice adjustment using center Bam Adebayo to defend DeRozan. There were some traps, but Adebayo’s presence and size left DeRozan unlike against Atlanta Wednesday off to a slow start. When the Bulls did make their one run in the second quarter it was pretty much all DeRozan, who was 3-of-4 on threes. But Adebayo’s size enabled him not to react to DeRozan’s pump fakes and DeRozan was just 3-of-4 on free throws.And while the Bulls talked afterward about shots rimming out, shots are more difficult to make when defenders are closing fast, wearing you down picking up in the backcourt as Miami did, pressuring and getting over screens. Bulls broadcaster Stacey King likes to talk about five Javontes; for Miami it was five Carusos.

“They came out a little more desperate,“ agreed Caruso. “They had the mental advantage coming off a loss. Coming back home, they just came out with more aggression than us. But even then I thought we did a good job of minimizing damage. But we didn’t make a couple of shots and that was the theme of the night. Every time we needed to cut it to a two-possession game, something manageable, they'd get it to 10 and we just didn’t make the timely shots to give us that energy boost to get over the hump and they’d make a couple of plays and it would get back to 15, and it was just an uphill battle from there. We gave offensive rebounds (at the end of the third), I had a bad turnover on the baseline. We’re already down 10 points, you give those things up you get to that point in game and you have such little margin for error. We just didn’t do a good enough job setting ourselves up to win late in the game.”

And as much as everyone likes to diminish, the Heat could have a last laugh about that culture they talk about all the time, especially with Butler unable to play. Caruso said creating that sort of desperation is vital for the Bulls.&nbsp;

“Not being satisfied and having an end goal and seeing the vision for where you want to be,” said Caruso. “Some of that (being satisfied) is human nature. It’s easy to have a few wins in a row and have a good stretch, but having that desperation from the start to game 82, that’s got to be the vision of where you are and where you want to be.”

DeRozan didn’t get much help other than from Nikola Vučević with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Coby White after his 42 points against the porous Hawks defense was stymied by the Miami pressure along with Ayo Dosunmu. They combined to shoot 8-for-31 (4-for-19 on threes) as White has 13 points and Dosunmu 10. Javonte Green off the bench had a dozen, but Miami’s reserves also were too much with a 42-24 edge. 

The Bulls shot a dismal 38% overall, 27% with 37 first-half points, were out rebounded 47-38 and outscored on the fast break 20-7 with Heat players constantly dunking in transition. It was a shockingly uncompetitive game for a Bulls team that did show unusual resilience and competency even during the worst of times, and even when they got behind 22-1 against the Heat earlier in the season and then won the game.

“Earlier this year we were down to them 22-1 and came back and won that game, so I’m pretty sure they talked about that before the game started,” said White. “Especially in this game with this intensity and playing with everything on the line, once you dig yourself a hole it’s a different type of hole than the regular season. It’s a different type of desperation for both teams. In that second quarter, we dug in defensively and got some stops, but we still didn’t shoot the ball well. So sometimes in this league it’s make or miss. We knew they were going to come out physical. They call it the Heat culture for a reason.

“Coach harped on it they were going to come out aggressive, especially after a loss in Philly and physical, and I feel like even in those moments we still got some good looks,” insisted White. “They protect the paint really well, but we got some spray outs and kick outs and when they were really closing in on DeMar he was making the right plays and we just didn’t hit shots and they hit shots at the beginning of the game and came out strong.”

Which perhaps you would expect for Miami back home, and without Butler it had many frankly packing for Boston. OK, me. And you also; admit it.

Especially the way the Bulls absolutely dominated the Hawks, and then learning Butler was out, and for good measure also Terry Rozier, and the Miami starters included rookie Jaquez, Nikola Jović and Caleb Martin. Who the heck was going to score? 

And them after the Bulls took a 11-6 lead making three consecutive threes, and you were sure they had this one, it was a dizzying 19 straight Miami points as suddenly the Bulls shots were much more difficult with a defender right there, picking up in the backcourt, constantly chasing and no DeMar to bail you out with Adebayo casting a long shadow.

“We have not been a high volume three-point shooting team,” agreed Donovan noting Miami made 14 threes to 13 for the Bulls, though Miami shot 42% and the Bulls 30. “I kind of liked a lot of the shots we got. DeMar and Vooch score, but we always need a third or fourth guy to help out with the load a little bit. It was a game I thought we had good looks and didn’t shoot the ball well. The defense in the first quarter was not great, but as poorly as we shot it in the second quarter we outscored them by seven and held them to 13 points.

“This is the part for Coby and Ayo, consistency wise, they're at this level against Atlanta and then you have to be able to come back. Not score 42 points again, but keep coming back,” said Donovan. “We gotta do more of that. We did compete. The game was physical. I thought at times they drove the ball through us; I didn't like that. I thought we were battling and trying. Scoring for us was coming harder than it was for them. Give them credit that their defense was great. Don’t want to take anything way from them, but all that being said it's a 10-point game (at half) and then we come out and get it down to (seven). There were a few (bad) possessions and to their their credit they really capitalized on that and blew the game open. I liked the shots Coby got, really liked the shots Ayo got. We gotta make some of those to keep staying in the game. And when you aren't shooting well and you have that stretch in the third quarter it becomes a really difficult mountain to overcome."

Certainly when you are following the rainbows to find your dream. It still remains out of reach for the Bulls. And, c’mon, didn’t anyone see that bus coming?

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Bulls season ends in Miami, fall to Heat 112-91 in Play-In

Now you know. That’s what White hot looks like on the basketball court.

And it was pretty inevitable that the Atlanta Hawks were just about waving the white flag from moments into a Bulls end to end, wire to wire, on-to-Miami-again 131-116 victory led by Coby White’s career-most 42 points in Wednesday’s Eastern Conference NBA play-in tournament game. The Bulls now travel to Miami for a rematch of last year’s play-in game to qualify for the NBA playoffs. With the Bulls perhaps as a surprising favorite because Heat star Jimmy Butler suffered a knee injury in Miami’s Wednesday play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The winner of Friday’s 6 p.m (CT) game meets the top-seeded Boston Celtics noon Sunday to open their Eastern Conference playoffs. Which means for the Bulls there’s still work to do. But their white whale, obsessive holy grail pursuit of the playoffs in the wake of this disappointing regular season is starting to show relentlessly impressive movement through this ocean of basketball predators.

This night because the Bulls had a great White, the theatrical point guard who danced around and through Atlanta defenses with whiplash crossover dribbles, numbing drives, calculated pullups and galvanizing three pointers that inevitably unleashed a white noise chorus of “Coby, Coby, Coby,” from more than 22,000 towel-waving and exuberant United Center fans.

No white knuckles this night as White applied the knockout punches.

“I didn’t come into the game saying I was going to put the team (on my back) or whatever,” the predictably humble White said afterward. “I just wanted to be aggressive and take what the defense gave me and just try to lead. Coming into the game, I just wanted to impact winning on both sides of the ball and that’s what I focused on, and tonight I was aggressive and things went my way.

“It was a dope feeling, a dope moment for that to happen,” White added about the honorifics washing down on him. “I’m thankful for it, I’m thankful for the fans. It felt like the playoffs; the place was rocking tonight and I’m definitely counting it as my career-high. It’s on the stat sheet right here.”

White’s declaration was because the play-in tournament comes between the regular season and playoffs, and obviously for a select group of teams. So statistics don’t count for the regular season. They do count in a separate NBA play-in category like playoff statistics. But no one will sweat the technicalities of this because of the significance of the moment, and the time being necessary for a Bulls White knight.

“He did all right; he can do a little bit better,” DeMar DeRozan cracked deadpan sitting beside White at the formal NBA postgame interview podium when asked to comment on White’s game.

“He led us tonight,” agreed DeRozan, who kick started the rout with 11 first quarter points in the stunning 40-22 Bulls first quarter slaughter. “We talked before the game coming out being aggressive, trying to make a statement early and not wait (like often this season), and that’s what we did. Everything is on the table. We went through a lot this season with injuries, up and down season, a season none of us expected. Everything we went through this season for this moment here. (So) we have to carry that over to the next game as well, give ourselves a chance to be in the playoffs.

“I remember that plane ride home vividly,” DeRozan said about the late game meltdown play-in loss in Miami last year. “Everyone was frustrated; that feeling sucked. I know for me that was one thing on my mind when I realized we’re going back to Miami, not to have that feeling.”

It certainly will help the Bulls if Butler cannot play; preliminary media reports were he could have a sprained MCL, which could put him out until next season. For their part, the Bulls lost Alex Caruso in another bizarre play involving Andre Drummond. Drummond was sort of victimized in that reckless Torrey Craig lob-to-himself dunk last week. This time in the second quarter with the Hawks on a 14-0 run, Drummond getting back on defense with all his 290 pounds pancaked Caruso like a pulling guard. Caruso had to leave the game with a sprained ankle and could only briefly return. He said afterwards he hopes to play in Miami, which is vital for the Bulls the way Caruso helped set an early defensive tone pestering Young into five first quarter turnovers and 0-for-3 shooting.

“Caught me (stepping on my) right foot and the left one I tried to catch and tweaked my ankle a little,” said Caruso. "What I’ve been dealing with the last couple of weeks. My mindset is to play until my body tells me I can’t. Was kind of ineffective (afterward when I returned), so better those guys finish the game and they did a good job.”

Especially White with Nikola Vučević going for 24 points and 12 rebounds, DeRozan adding 22 points and Ayo Dosunmu 19. Javonte Green off the bench helping on Young with Caruso hurt added 10 points with some nasty slam dunks.

“We’ve got guys on the team when the lights come on and they are bright they step up to the challenge,” said Caruso. “I’ve had moments like that in my career; DeMar countess numbers. Vooch has played playoff basketball, Ayo in the short time he’s stepped up and helped us. I think that’s one of great strengths that we do have guys who can go off any given night. Coby’s put in the work. There’s talk of Most Improved and I think he rightfully deserves that. It’s not surprising for us because we know how good he can be and that’s how confident we want him to play all the time.”

And so all across the board the Bulls controlled this game, matching Atlanta’s 11 threes, which was the one potential Achilles heel for the Bulls. Then with Atlanta missing two of their best defenders and rebounders in Onyeka Okongwua and Saddiq Bey, the Bulls owned the boards 47-34, shot a staggering 56.8% overall with 42% on threes (the Hawks were 29.7%) and the Bulls had a dam burst of 72 inside points with mostly White, but also Dosunmu and Vučević, the latter with his spins and drop steps, crashing the Hawks in the paint.

“It was really important for us against them because we did not get (to the rim) as much (in the April 1 loss in the United Center), and we knew they were probably going to get the volume of three-point shots up that they do with (Bogdan) Bogdanović, (Dejounte) Murray and Trae Young and even (De’Andre) Hunter,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “So for us we needed to get downhill and attack the paint, and I think we did a better job of that and certainly Coby was a catalyst and Ayo getting downhill, as well.”

It was a thing of beauty, at least for the Bulls, from the jump with a 16-2 close to the first quarter and that suddenly massive 18-point lead, the arena rocking. The Bulls were shooting 62% and scoring every which way but loose, followups, threes, retrieving loose balls, drives and dunks.

The Hawks are a mess pretty much because of Young and his poor defense and overweening ball domination. He was one of four Hawks to score at least 20 points with 22, Murray leading with 30. But the Bulls drivers constantly sought out Young over screens because of his poor defense. Young had by far the poorest Atlanta plus-minus and shot 4-of-12 with six turnovers. Though that’s not the Bulls problem.

It seemed the Bulls might have one briefly when the Hawks made that second quarter run with Murray leading the way. But after the Hawks moved within 40-36 in a flash, it was flash Dosunmu with a driving score as the Bulls pushed the ball out of the backcourt whenever they could against historically poor Atlanta transition defense. The Bulls with White getting one of his two steals led DeRozan for a run out slam dunk and foul for a 14-point lead. Atlanta worked its way back within 73-67 in a defense optional first half after Caruso left.

Then with the Hawks trapping DeRozan, he helped get the ball moving with nine of the Bulls 27 assists, and Hawks defenders with heads spinning like they were in Beetlejuice. White had several drives like he was a bit of Jason Williams, Kyrie Irving and Bob Cousy, and the fans had seen enough, and came the third quarter roars for, “Coby! Coby! Coby!”

The Bulls led 110-92 after three quarters with White adding 14 more in the fourth quarter, back breaking for the Hawks with ankle breaking by White.

“Just grateful to be where I am,” said White. “That first playoff series I had in my career (against Milwaukee) didn’t go how I wanted it to go. Last year I played better in the play-in.”

There’s a famous verse from the English philosopher G. K. Chesterton: “God paints in many colors, but he never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when he paints in white.”

Got a question for Sam?Submit your question to Sam at&nbsp;asksam@bulls.com

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Coby White's 42 leads Bulls past Hawks in the Play-in

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HIGHLIGHTS: Chicago Bulls beat Atlanta 131-116 in Play-In Game behind Coby White's 42 points

This time the short runner from DeMar DeRozan with about three seconds left in overtime rolled agonizingly off the rim and into the hands of the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, and the Bulls 2023-24 regular season was finished just one DeRozan spectacular short.

So it was a 120-119 Knicks win in the most entertaining and meaningless game of the season, at least for the Bulls long locked into 8:30 p.m. CT Wednesday to host  the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA’s post season play-in tournament. It was somewhat more significant for the Knicks, who rode yet another 40-point masterpiece from Brunson to their 50th win and surprise second seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

With 27 lead changes and ties overall and a dozen in a frantic and frenzied fourth quarter during which both teams never were separated by more than one score the last seven minutes and in the last four minutes the Bulls led four separate times, DeRozan, Coby White, Nikola Vučević and Alex Caruso took turns making bold shots and fanciful plays, and Javonte Green offensive rebounds before a fifth Caruso steal with about 30 seconds left in a tie game gave the Bulls a chance to win in regulation. DeRozan missed, and Brunson under duress from Caruso spun one out at the buzzer from the deep left corner.

The Bulls in their league-most 11th overtime game (7-4), had an chance after a Caruso driving score with 14.4 seconds left cut the New York lead to one. And then again flummoxing the Knicks in denying multiple inbounds passes, the Bulls got the ball back, Tom Thibodeau agonized, and then with a last chance so did DeRozan and the Bulls.

DeRozan finished with 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, Vučević had 29 points and 11 rebounds, White looking back to pre-All-Star form had 26 points and Caruso made 3-of-5 threes with the five steals and eight assists.

And so the Bulls now get back to really keeping score as they host Atlanta and with a win, then visit the loser of the Philadelphia/Miami play-in game for a chance to win the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs and an opening series with the league leading Boston Celtics.

The Bulls finished the regular season one place higher than last season’s 10th, but one win fewer than last season at 39-43.

“I’m proud of this group,” said DeRozan. “Even the way we competed going into the play-in game shows you with the amount of things we went through us being ready for what’s next. This year has been a lot to build up a lot of resiliency in us all, and it’s brought us a lot closer. And with that it’s going to be a lot positives that can carry over.”

One big question for the Bulls this summer, though perhaps too soon for now to consider, is whether DeRozan will be carrying that over with the Bulls again.

He’s an unrestricted free agent, which means he can leave the Bulls without the team getting anything in return. DeRozan has reiterated he’d like to resign with the Bulls after this season. Though a potential pause would be the price, and if his return matches a plan going forward with the young players, like White, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams.

DeRozan, who turns 35 in August as he concludes his 15th NBA season, is not likely to have a big market as an elite free agent considering his age, though he’d be in demand with championship level teams for his experience and clutch shot-making ability. He’s one of the highest scoring fourth quarter players and a leader in clutch performance even this many seasons later.

Which, of course, is vital for all teams.

And perhaps remarkably, for the first time in his career with another 44 minutes tacked on Sunday, DeRozan finished as the NBA season leader in both minutes played per game and total minutes, a rarity for a player not only his age but with so much team responsibility.

“I feel great,” DeRozan emphasized after the game. “I always take care of myself to the fullest on and off the court, try to eat the best I can eat. I don’t do anything. I don’t go out. I don’t drink. I don’t do much of anything. So with that I try to take care of myself so I can be out there for those guys, and at the end of the day I just love playing. I don’t look at it like it’s an age thing. I just want to play. I just love playing basketball.”

It’s becoming some kind of remarkable saga that like wine, jeans and pickles, DeRozan seemingly gets better with age. The longer the season goes the more he plays, which also makes it a pickle for the Bulls.

DeRozan is a troubadour for ongoing excellence.

It didn’t look so promising for DeRozan as this Bulls season began badly, 5-14, with not so many of his big fourth quarter moments. DeRozan averaged 23.3 points in the few October games, but then just 20.8 as the Bulls lost their way in November. Yeah, we knew it, were the murmurs. A step slower, predictable. DeRozan recovered some to almost 24 points per game in December, but then back to about 21 in January. The dog days and all that.

When DeMar DeRozan began to take a big bite out of NBA defenses.

DeRozan averaged 27 per game in February, almost 26 in March and 30.8 this month with his shooting averages the highest for the season these last few weeks. It’s truly a remarkable feat for the 6-foot-6, six-time All-Star. Despite the slow start, he still averaged 24 points per game for the season, fourth-highest of his career

On a personal note, he is the media favorite on the team.

It’s basically a nice group of players, accommodating and friendly. But despite being asked to speak for the group more than anyone in post-game sessions obviously not always after wins, DeRozan never says no. In fact, I recently heard him say, “I never says no to you guys.”

That’s Magic Johnson stuff, Ray Allen, Elton Brand, the people who have come through the NBA who best understand their role and the media’s, that the media is there not to celebrate themselves — most, anyway, I still believe — but to act as a conduit for the fans. DeRozan is one of those players who understands his responsibility to the game and the community and one of the most fan friendly stars in the game.

It’s a little thing, but if you watch Bulls pregame warmups they’re all serious. DeRozan unique among his teammates when he finishes his workouts and shooting, throws a ball a few rows back in the stands to a young fan so he or she can throw it back to DeRozan, who catches it near the stands and throws a lob for a dunk to Andre Drummond. Not so much lately with Drummond out with an ankle sprain. Ayo Dosunmu also missed the New York game, but is expected to practice this week.

But even with DeRozan playing at such a high level, the Bulls have been just a play-in team the last two seasons. And if they make a big financial commitment to him, it’s uncertain what else they could do to improve. The conundrum is some guys just mean so much to a team, and certainly for his teammates and the coaching staff it’s DeRozan.

“That guy is one of the most special people I’ve ever been around, all the way around, player, person, teammate,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said post game in discussing the regular season. “Just the ability to communicate with &nbsp;him. Every day who he is. Never ever, ever seen him have a bad day. Never seen him in a bad mood, never had an attitude. Certainly puts a lot into it and gets frustrated like they all do, but he was major part of keeping the group together, a major part.

“I appreciate the investment he’s made in Dalen (Terry); that’s the thing I love about him,” said Donovan. “He invests in people, he invests in others. You can see what he’s done. He’s given Coby a lot of confidence. He’s passing the ball to guys not like he has to shoot every shot for us. So maybe we’re little better this year coming down the stretch that maybe we had a few more threats than him having to carry the load every time. Just the minutes load and being professional and rising to the challenge and not afraid of the moment, he’s as good as anyone I’ve ever been around.”

Vučević was around DeRozan first as a teammate in college at USC. He knows, also.

“The way he carries himself as a pro every day, the way he cares for all his teammates, the belief he has in all of us,” said Vučević. “Obviously, you (media) guys see him when he takes over the court and makes big shots and make big plays; that’s something everyone sees. But for us it’s more important how he is around us off the court, and even on the court if somebody is struggling or whatever he always has the belief in guys and always supports them. Which is very important, especially coming from the best player and your leader. It goes a long way, especially for the young guys. 

“Very simple guy, easygoing, doesn’t ask for anything special because he’s the best player or he has 15 years in the NBA,” Vučević explained. “He’s like everyone else and I think that’s one thing the guys respect about him. He enjoys playing, loves being on the court, loves competing. He plays a lot of minutes, which is not always easy to do. But I think it’s just he enjoys playing and being out there. That’s what he thinks about and not all these minutes on my body. He does what he needs to do to be ready.”

Which has been one very big bright spots during this Bulls season.

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Bulls fall to Knicks in OT, finish regular season 39-43

Could it be that Victor Wembanyama is feeling Adama Sanogo’s hot breath coming up on him in the Rookie of the Year race with Sanogo’s 22 points and 20 rebounds — the only rookie 20-20 game this season after Wembanyama’s — in Friday’s Bulls 129-127 victory over the Washington Wizards?

Which was pretty much the theme of Friday’s elevated pre-season type fun game because the Bulls rested most of their starters with the play-in home court game for next week cliched against the Atlanta Hawks, and the Wizards resting most of their regulars for we’re not sure why.

So it was a night for milestones and actually an entertaining, if inefficient, conclusion for the Bulls who survived losing a six-point lead in the last 40 seconds when Patrick Baldwin Jr’s free throw to tie the game with 6.2 seconds left went awry and into Sanogo’s grasp for rebound number 20.

And thus became not only the second NBA rookie with a 20-20 game this season, but the second in Bulls history after Charles Oakley in 1985. With four Bulls players scoring at least 20 points led by Javonte Green’s 24, Green set a career-high with 20 first-half points and didn’t play much in the second half. Jevon Carter had his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 assists, and Coby White added 20 points while DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vučević and Alex Caruso all rested in the back-to-back as the Bulls inched up to 39-42 with a final regular season game Sunday in New York.

Ayo Dosunmu and Andre Drummond both remained out with injuries with both hopeful of returning for the play-in game or games. Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Julian Phillips and, of course, Lonzo Ball are out for the season. Washington didn’t play most of their guys you’ve heard of like Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones, Marvin Bagley and Jordan Poole and couldn’t get that rare 16th win.

So it was an opportunity for the guys who usually watch and have to cheer — look, no one who really wants to play can be that excited for others taking their place although we play along — to have some fun.

And some of the most for the Bulls was the likable Mali native who was Most Outstanding Player of last year’s NCAA tournament champion UConn team and a two-way player for the Bulls who has been putting up huge numbers for the Windy City Bulls.

But at 6-foot-9 and without that so called above-the-rim game, Sanogo wasn’t drafted. It’s a similar question haunting Purdue star Zach Edey, though his 7-foot-4 size should get him into this year’s NBA draft, if perhaps not in the first round.

The NBA is even more an athletic and shooting game, especially with the emphasis on the three-pointers. The conventional wisdom has been the onset of the center less game, though paradoxically Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid were the most recent MVP winners.

So perhaps there is a place for someone like Sanogo, who makes up for his lack of size and leaping ability with clever footwork, solid fundamentals and a Drummond-like hunger for missed shots with 10 offensive rebounds. Maybe they just don’t have a training table at UConn. 

“For some of our younger guys to be in a game like that (was good) because you don’t experience some of the things that happened at the end,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “I thought Javonte was really, really good. I thought Dalen (Terry) gave us really good minutes. It was unfortunate he picked up fouls; he’s got to be better, he’s got to be smarter in the type of fouls he’s picking up. I thought Adama did a really good job. He started the game slow and missed a lot of easy stuff around the basket, but I thought he settled in during the second half and made some nice plays around the basket, finished and certainly rebounded. Henri (Drell) came off the bench and made some threes, but the guy I was really personally happy for was Jevon. I thought he played really well, a veteran guy who had a huge impact on the game and for a guy who’s been in and out of the lineup, he always tries to keep himself ready. There were a lot of individual performances that contributed to us having a chance.

“His (Sanogo) situation, maybe the most underrated thing about him is basically because he does not play necessarily above the rim and a lot of his stuff is around the basket is angles; he’s really good with his feet,” said Donovan. “We switched a lot defensively and he does a good job moving his feet and keeping people in front of him. He’s very good in pick and roll coverage. There were several times when he had to close out and contest three-point shots, so that’s (also a) really underrated area of his. He’s going to have to figure out there’s a lot more size here than there was in college. There he could just carve out space physically and overpower you and finish. Now when there’s length between he and the basket, he has to find ways to finish. I give him credit. I thought he adjusted as the game went on.”

And Sanogo said he’s been ready to pounce while averaging about 22 and 12 for Windy City.

"I've been waiting for this all year,” said Sanogo. “So to be able to come in and do it now, it feels great. This is like a dream come true for me. I think that is why I am here. I don't think I got here by chance. I got here because these guys believe in me. These guys think I can have a chance. I've got to show that, too, that I can do this. I’ve been waiting for this all year to have a chance. You don’t get this chance a lot, so that was my mindset to go get it.”

The Bulls got this one in the end, though it didn’t matter much with their matchup locked in for the first play-in game Wednesday against Atlanta. The winner of that game then on the road faces the loser of the 7/8 play-in game, which is scheduled to be played Tuesday. But those teams are not determined yet among Indiana, Philadelphia and Miami.

So the high scoring and highest energy Bulls became spectators as Donovan started his dream small lineup with Green at center.

Donovan said there was some method to the madness as an experiment to play a compete small ball lineup to see how that functions even if it’s not with the same players who would be in the play-in tournament.

So the game was wide open NBA with Washington ahead 40-33 in the first quarter, the Bulls see-sawing to a 65-62 halftime lead, the Bulls still ahead by three heading into the fourth quarter with both teams already threatening 100 points, and then a lot more action than we get from Congress, anyway, in the last six minutes.

Terry had a wild driving dunk and primal reaction while Drell provided accompanying theatrics. The kids were having fun. &nbsp;

Torrey Craig with 11 points and 15 rebounds made a clutch three with about a minute left, and then the Bulls missed four of their last eight free throws to give Washington a chance. Really, overtime in the game? Please, no. Corey Kispert made a three with 24 seconds left to cut the Bulls lead to 127-126. Sanogo made one of two free throws, and then Baldwin missed his second for the tie. Sanogo dropped one of two free throws before Kispert to tie missed a runner at the buzzer.

Which was quite enough basketball on this night. And on to Madison Square Garden for the final dress rehearsal.

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Bulls beat Wizards behind Adama Sanogo's 20-20 performance off the bench

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HIGHLIGHTS: Bulls beat Wizards 129-127 behind Javonte Green’s 24 points

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