Thursday NBA Roundup: Bulls' Young Players Proving They Can Be Difference-Makers
You could chalk up the Chicago Bulls' 94-87 home win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday to circumstance if you were so inclined. You'd find no shortage of such explanations for the shocking result.
The Warriors were without Kevin Durant, who suffered a knee sprain and a bone bruise two nights prior that could put him out for the rest of the 2016-17 regular season. Stephen Curry made his fair share of ridiculous shots amid a 23-point night at the United Center, but he also missed open looks that are normally in his wheelhouse.
The Bulls, for their part, have now won their last 18 home games broadcast by TNT, including 10 straight against the NBA's elite: the San Antonio Spurs (twice), Oklahoma City Thunder (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Boston Celtics (twice), Los Angeles Clippers and now the Warriors.
But Chicago needed more bogeymen to blow up Golden State's league-record streak of 146 games without back-to-back losses. It definitely required plenty beyond Jimmy Butler's busting out of his post-All-Star funk with 22 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
That something turned out to be a turnaround of one of the biggest culprits behind the Bulls' decline: a moribund youth movement.
Or, in the case of Thursday's outcome, a timely one.
While Dwyane Wade and Robin Lopez were shooting 5-of-15 apiece from the field, Chicago's much-maligned up-and-comers were busy bringing some semblance of hope back to the Windy City.
Bobby Portis, a second-year forward out of Arkansas, paced his peer group with 17 points, 13 rebounds and one emphatic third-quarter block on Golden State's Klay Thompson (13 points on 5-of-22 shooting).
Rookie Paul Zipser popped for nine points on 4-of-5 shooting off the bench. Cristiano Felicio's 11 rebounds as a reserve helped boost the Bulls to a 49-41 edge on the boards.
Even Jerian Grant, who finished with a modest five points in 13 minutes, soaked up some shine when he crossed Curry shortly after halftime:
A month ago, most of these guys were known less for their in-game production (or lack thereof) than for the desire to see the 35-year-old Wade lace up his Li-Nings in practice—a sentiment some expressed during a players-only meeting in late January.
"That's one of the things in the meeting: Young guys just want a little bit more from him," now-former Bull Taj Gibson said at the time, per ESPN.com's Nick Friedell. "And he brung it today. He pushed the young guys. And that's a sign that that meeting did a little something."
On its face, Gibson's trade-deadline departure to the Oklahoma City Thunder—along with Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick in exchange for Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow—looked like another misstep by Chicago's front-office duo of Gar Forman and John Paxson.
McDermott's sharp shooting in OKC (44.4 percent from three), contrasted with Payne's poor start in Chicago (2-of-10 from two-point range), only made the trade look worse in the Windy City.
But the quality of any swap can't and shouldn't be judged solely by who gets moved, but also by whom among the incumbents fills the void. In Chicago's case, look no further than what Portis and Felicio have done while soaking up minutes at power forward, or how Grant and rookie Denzel Valentine—despite his being scoreless in 14 minutes against Golden State—have seized the opportunity.
| Portis | 11.3 | 45.9% | 46.2% | 7.3 |
| Felicio | 6.5 | 73.3% | 0.0% | 6.3 |
| Grant | 6.3 | 72.7% | 71.4% | 1.8 |
| Valentine | 8.3 | 52.2% | 47.4% | 4.0 |
That may not be eye-popping production, but it's a step in the right direction compared to where the baby Bulls were prior to the All-Star break.
"These guys are itching for their opportunity," head coach Fred Hoiberg said following a 28-point flattening at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 12, per the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "Now it's about performing, doing things the right way, building the right habits for a lot of guys who haven't had a lot of playing time."
Those same subpar performers now seem to be trending in the right direction. The Bulls have won five of their last six games to sneak into the East's No. 6 spot.
Their work, though, is far from done. There's no forgetting that the player for whom the underperforming Payne was essentially flipped (McDermott) was himself the result of a draft-day trade that saw the Bulls cede the rights to Gary Harris and Jusuf Nurkic—both of whom have played well since the break.
And while Chicago must be pleased to see its other prospects finding their way, there's still no second star in the Second City to pair with Butler beyond this season. That concern may have played into the Bulls' mulling offers for Butler around the trade deadline and could reignite those persistent rumors this summer.
Chicago, though, will have at least another six weeks, and likely longer, to look at the pieces it has on hand to build around its resident All-Star and his aging sidekick.
A win over the league-leading Warriors could be just the confidence boost those kids need to convince their older counterparts—on the roster and in the front office—that the entire team need not be bulldozed just yet.
3 + 2 = 5? Not for Russ
Russell Westbrook has said time and again that he doesn't care about his triple-doubles, that it's only about winning for him. But what if stuffing the stat sheet to that extent is the best way to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder on a successful track?
That's how it looked at times during OKC's 114-109 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Westbrook bullied his way to 45 points, eight rebounds and four assists—snapping a streak of four straight triple-doubles—and gave the Thunder a 101-94 lead with just under six minutes to go on a 14-footer.
But OKC's lone All-Star wouldn't score again until an and-1 with 37 seconds left.
By then, the Thunder had already blown their lead by way of a 14-0 Portland push, paced by Damian Lillard (33 points, four rebounds, five assists), C.J. McCollum (18 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Nurkic, who wowed fans in his Rip City home debut with 18 points, 12 boards, six assists, five blocks and two steals.
Westbrook won't have to wait long to exact his revenge against Portland's backcourt. Following stops in Phoenix and Dallas on Friday and Sunday, respectively, the Thunder will return to OKC to host the Blazers on Tuesday.
Suns Stymie Charlotte—And Their Own Tanking Effort
The Phoenix Suns hurt the Charlotte Hornets and themselves in one fell swoop Thursday.
The 120-103 win was a rare one for Phoenix. The Suns had lost three in a row and 13 out of 16 prior to pasting the Hornets defense for 60 points in the paint and shooting a scorching 59.7 percent from the field.
Six of Phoenix's own scored in double figures, led by rookie forward Marquese Chriss' 17 points and three triples. T.J. Warren, Leandro Barbosa and Alan Williams added 16 points apiece, while the backcourt of Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe combined for 29 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists.
But this win, like each one the Suns are able to scrounge up from here on out, costs the team dearly—and sparks new hope in the City of Angels—at the draft lottery, as Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus pointed out:
At 19-42, the Suns own the same record as the Los Angeles Lakers. Losing pingpong balls might not mean much to Phoenix, which should get to select a blue-chip prospect in a loaded 2017 draft either way. For the Lakers, though, it could mean the difference between a shot at a savior this summer and watching its picks vanish. Allow Pincus to recap:
"Should the Lakers lose their pick to Philadelphia in June, they'll also send their 2019 first-rounder to the Orlando Magic (for Dwight Howard). Thus, it's vital that the Lakers win any of the top three selections in the lottery, delaying the pick to Philadelphia until 2018 (unprotected) while shifting the Orlando obligation to a pair of second-rounders (in 2017 and 2018) instead of a first.
"
A better outcome for the Lakers can only hurt the Suns, who have to compete with the Purple and Gold in the Pacific Division.
Thursday's Final Scores
- Chicago Bulls 94, Golden State Warriors 87
- Phoenix Suns 120, Charlotte Hornets 103
- Portland Trail Blazers 114, Oklahoma City Thunder 109
All stats and salary information via NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and listen to his Hollywood Hoops podcast with B/R Lakers lead writer Eric Pincus.
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