Bulls' Jim Boylen Defends Playing Reserves During Lakers' 4th-Quarter Comeback

Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen was playing the long game during his team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. 

The Bulls lost 118-112 after the Lakers outscored Chicago 38-19 in the fourth quarter, but Boylen didn't regret going to his bench down the stretch: 

Chicago entered the fourth quarter leading 93-80 before the Lakers went on a 29-4 run to open the final period.

Thaddeus Young, Coby White, Luke Kornet, Chandler Hutchison and Kris Dunn were on the floor to begin that stretch. Boylen started subbing his starters back in when Zach LaVine entered for Kornet at the 9:16 mark, but the Bulls' lead had shrunk to 93-89 and momentum had completely shifted by then.

Boylen did not make a full switch back to the starters until Otto Porter Jr. replaced White at the 6:36 mark with the Lakers leading 100-97.

White, this year's seventh overall pick, had helped to expand the Bulls' lead in the second quarter by scoring 12 of his 18 points off the bench in that frame. Chicago entered halftime leading 65-48 and led by double digits for the entire third quarter.

The Bulls are now 2-6 to start Boylen's first full season as head coach after the franchise signed him to a multiyear extension in May. Boylen took over as interim head coach on Dec. 3, 2018, following the firing of Fred Hoiberg. The Bulls finished the 2018-19 campaign with a 22-60 record. 

Boylen could be using the early portion of this season to test out his young roster and develop the group as a whole with the future in mind. But that mindset isn't likely to be welcomed in Chicago, as the Bulls have finished below .500 the last two years and barely eked into the postseason at 41-41 in 2016-17, only to be ousted in the first round.