Daily Bulls

After losing two straight games against beatable teams, the Chicago Bulls get back in the win column with a 128-109 victory against the Orlando Magic. Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan each scored 32 points, with Lavine shooting 61% and DeRozan 78.5% from the field, 5-for-5 from three. Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points and 13 rebounds against his former team, where he developed into an All-Star Center. Vucevic got his 28th double-double of the season. The Bulls big three yet again performed well, combining for 90 points. But the Bulls will stay in the 11th spot with a 23-26 in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando’s starters struggled to get going all night. No starters played during the fourth quarter, but for a good reason. Three of the four Magic players’ double-digit scorers came off the bench. Former Bull Wendell Carter Jr. was the only Magic starter to score in double-digits, 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 in 24 minutes. The First Round Pick of the 2022 Draft, Paolo Banchero, scored nine points on a 3-for-14 shooting night.

Bulls build yet another 20+ Point Lead

Once again, for the third straight game, Chicago got themselves a double-digit lead within the first quarter. The Magic cut the lead down to six points, but the Bulls responded with multiple runs. That first run began the second quarter, started by a Vucevic three-pointer, and ended with a Derrick Jones Jr three-pointer, which caused Orlando to take a timeout, 37-25.

A couple of minutes later, Orlando cut the lead down to six again, but the Bulls took demand of the game, going on a 13-2 run from 5:28 to 2:51 to take a 56-39 lead. The biggest lead of the first half was 17 points. Chicago shot 57.1% in the first half, while Orlando struggled, shooting 41.3% from the field. Orlando played the second half of back-to-back games.

After the first half, many Bulls were ready for a huge Magic comeback. But at first, that wasn’t possible, with the Bulls keeping their lead throughout the third quarter. With 3:27 left in the third, Zach Lavine made two free throws to get the Bulls their most significant lead of the game at 89-64. After these free throws, Orlando knocked a couple of threes to help the Magic lead a charge to get back in the game.

Magic’s Bench provides spark for comeback

The Orlando Magic bench led by Moritz Wagner, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs gave the Magic a chance to win the game. All three Magic players came off the bench. Moritz Wagner scored season-high 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Cole Anthony added 21 points, and Jalen Suggs got 11 points. Orlando’s bench outscored Chicago’s bench 68-19.

Dating back the third quarter, Orlando went a 26-9 run to cut the lead down to eight, 98-90. A Cole Anthony dunk forced Chicago to take a timeout and made Bulls fans thinking, here we go again with blowing another double-digit lead. Chicago was able to keep the lead at around ten or 11, but Orlando kept fighting. Cole Anthony three-pointer with 4:28 left got the lead down to five, 111-106. What seemed to be nail bitting game, turned out to become almost a 20 point win for Chicago.

After Anthony’s three, the Bulls finished the game on a 17-3 run, with Orlando making one shot. Chicago’s run started with a Lavine driving layup and, more importantly, a Patrick Williams three-pointer to get the lead back to double-digits. Williams finished the game with 16 points and six rebounds, half of his points coming during the fourth quarter. Chicago’s ball movement was the biggest factor in increasing the lead late in the game. During the 17-3 run, every Bulls basket, besides one made three, was assisted by Alex Caruso or Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls finished the game with 30 assists.

Final Thoughts

Finally the Road Trip is over for Chicago

What began as a possible 3-0 trip for Chicago started as a nightmare for the Bulls nation. Chicago will finish the road trip 1-2. But the Bulls will start a huge homestand before the trade deadline next month. A trade could happen at some point soon. Hinting towards Andre Drummond, who has not had many minutes, the reason is still unknown. The Bulls, in the second half of games, must continue to move the ball; that is their only chance of holding double-digit leads. But the problem for Chicago will now be facing the LA Clippers, a game Kawhi Leonard and Paul George should be playing in.

No Starters in the Fourth for Orlando?

Moritz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Admiral Schofield, and Bol Bol were the Magic players to play during the fourth quarter. Those guys ran out of energy, and this is the type of game Wendell Carter Jr wanted to get back in the game. But the Magic felt the Magic with their bench scorer; more scoring production was needed to beat the Bulls. Orlando is still in the Play-In race, 4.5 games out of the 10th spot. The Magic will face the 76ers for their next two straight games.

Up Next

Chicago will return to the United Center on Tuesday to face the LA Clippers.

Orlando will travel to face Philadelphia on Monday.

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