Daily Bulls

After dropping four straight games, the Chicago Bulls find themselves in good spirits, winning two consecutive road games for the first time this season. The latest win came off of a game-winner by Ayo Dosunmu to beat Atlanta 110-108. With that win over the Hawks, Chicago becomes 13-18 after the win and is 0.5 games behind Toronto for the last play-in spot.

3 Takeaways from the recent Bulls spark

Ayo Dosunmu gets confidence back by game-winner

Second-year guard Chicago’s very own, Ayo Dosunmu, has yet to get off to the start many Bulls fans were looking for. After a November 30th loss against the Phoenix Suns, the Bulls coaching staff made the change of starting Alex Caruso and sending Ayo to the bench. Dosunmu didn’t back down to the challenge but has scored in double-digits once since the lineup change (17 vs. Mavs).

Hitting his first game-winner boosted everything about his game. He finished the game with nine points. With Alex Caruso being out due to a concussion tonight against New York, Dosunmu gets the chance to get back in the starting lineup and help Chicago get back in the playoff picture. As a starter, Dosunmu is averaging 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 21 games.

Playing through Vucevic

The Chicago Bulls’ offense has been fine lately, but are times when Chicago does not move the ball, which results in contested threes. That leads to easy buckets for opponents on the other end. So how have the Bulls gone away from contested jump shots? Playing through the big man of Nikola Vucevic. Getting Vucevic the ball in the post has led to teammates being out and moving the ball for good-quality shots.

During the small two-game winning streak, Vucevic is averaging 24.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He shot 17 times, but against Miami on Tuesday, he only missed four out of 17 shot attempts. The good offense for Vucevic means a more motivated defender on the other end.

Defensive Rotations (Zach Lavine)

The most significant reason for the four-game losing streak is the lack of defensive rotations being on point. Zach Lavine was at fault, especially during the Timberwolves game, where Chicago allowed season-high 150 points. That led to a blowout during halftime and after the game, with teammates holding Zach Lavine accountable for not rotating to the correct spots.

After the blowouts, Zach Lavine has responded by averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. He has started rotating to the correct spots and forcing tough shots and turnovers. Also, one steal in each of the last two games and has shot at least 50% from the field. Lavine has become more of a catch-and-shoot type of player instead of creating his own three-point shot. That has helped his three-point percentage lately. Keep in mind Chicago is 6-1 when Lavine scores more than 20 points and shoots at least 50% from three.

Chicago will look to extend their winning streak in the Garden tonight against the Knicks at 6:30 CT. Note, the Bulls has not won on a Friday yet this season.

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