FINISHING TOUCH: TIGHTER DEFENSE
This time, the Bulls stood their ground in the fourth quarter.
Zach LaVine scored a team-high 26 points, Otto Porter Jr. added 22, and the Bulls held on for a 112-106 win over the Pistons on Friday night at the United Center. The Bulls led by as many as 16 in the first half before falling behind with 3:46 to go, but they closed the game on a 13-6 run to snap a three-game losing streak.
“I thought we rebounded the ball better in the fourth quarter,” coach Jim Boylen said. “I thought our defensive effort and our communication was better. And I thought we made some big-time shots, which is important. It’s something we haven’t been doing.”
LaVine sparked the strong finish with back-to-back three-pointers to turn a onepoint deficit into a five-point lead.
But it was Porter’s play that drew the loudest praise from Boylen. Porter, who entered the game averaging 8.8 points on 31.8 percent shooting, gave his best effort of the season, shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
“Otto, I thought, had that look in his eye like he wasn’t going to let us lose,” Boylen said. “He was aggressive. He was confident. He has a size advantage at the three with ball skills. I thought he did a great job.”
Wendell Carter Jr. also stood out, posting a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
“He embraces his role on this team,” Boylen said. “He’s a tough young dude.”
Lauri Markkanen added 14 points but watched from the bench in the fourth quarter after sustaining an unspecified injury. Boylen claimed he didn’t know the details but said Markkanen was available to come back late in the game. Instead, Boylen stuck with Thaddeus Young, who contributed on both ends of the court.
“We’ve played good enough offensive basketball to win,” Boylen said. “We haven’t played good enough defensive basketball to win. We got those clouds out of the way today, and I thought we were better defensively.”
Hello, old friend
Derrick Rose wasn’t the only former Bull who got a raucous ovation Friday. So did Joakim Noah, who watched the game from
a suite with his young daughter on his lap. Fans roared when Noah was shown on the scoreboard sporting a bushy beard and a purple headband.
The Bulls played a brief highlight reel from Noah’s playing days. His daughter happily pointed at him after realizing the man in the video was her dad.
Not ready yet
Forward Chandler Hutchison (strained hamstring) missed his sixth straight game. Boylen said he was hopeful Hutchison could travel for Sunday’s game against the Pacers.
“We’ll see how that plays out,” Boylen said. “Hopefully he can practice [Saturday] with us, and hopefully we can move forward with it. Obviously, it’s a long process, and it’s frustrating for him and frustrating for us.” ✶